I See You
by Ian K
Summary: Kara's daughter helps her to make an important choice about her future. LeeKara romance, action, drama, now AU fic. Some mild violence.
1. Chapter 1

I See You

By: Ian K.

Rating: PG

Spoilers: None definite for after Season 3 Premiere. Just speculation.

Summary: Kara's daughter helps her to make a choice about her future. Lee/Kara, all the way!!!

Lee sat at his desk in his quarters, reading over one of the myriad reports that he received daily as the commander of a battlestar. As he rubbed his eyes from the strain of reading so much, he almost wished for the days when most of the crew had settled on New Caprica, before the cylon occupation. Things may have been bad morale wise, for him included, on the Pegasus at that time, but they were sure quieter. He wasn't up late like he was now going blind on paperwork.

It had been six months since the survivors of humanity had been rescued from New Caprica. There had been a lot of healing of wounds since then, some more successfully than others. The hardest of all had been Lee's friendship with Kara.

When Kara had married Sam Anders, and left for New Caprica, she left Lee a heartbroken man. He had married Dee mainly because she seemed to be his last hope for happiness now that the woman he truly loved was gone. He had been bitter over Kara's choice, and Kara knew it. Lee sometimes thought about that day when Kara called the Pegasus and asked for medicine to cure Anders' illness. Lee never got the chance to reply because the Cylons came. He wondered, shamefully, if he would have refused her help.

Lee almost didn't go on the rescue mission to New Caprica because of his bitterness, and his reluctance to risk the remaining survivors of the fleet still free from Cylon control. It was one of the reports from Sharon Agathon, who had been sent to New Caprica to coordinate the space-borne assault with the ground-based resistance, that changed Lee's mind. Included in that report was the fact that Kara had been missing for four months. Something stirred within Lee, and he finally committed the Pegasus to the fight. That commitment, though, came with a price. Dee died in the rescue mission when a panel exploded in CIC and sent shrapnel into Dee's skull. She died quickly. Lee grieved for her, but also over the fact that he was never able to completely love her like she deserved.

When Kara returned among the survivors, she wasn't alone. Sam was with her, as was a little girl whom Kara said was her half-Cylon daughter, Kacey. Strangely, Kacey had been the one to help begin the repair in Kara's relationship with Lee.

It took some time, but Lee and Kara talked things out. She helped him grieve over the loss of Dee, and Lee offered Kara his full support in Kara's decision to raise Kacey. Their friendship began to rebuild itself, and Lee had become quite smitten with little Kacey. She's starting to talk now, and calls him "Uncle Lee."

In the meantime, Sam is far more reluctant to support Kara's newfound role as a mother. He sees Kacey as a Cylon half-breed, and can not seem to get over his unease over the child's presence. Kara also decides to rejoin the military, which Sam objects to. He wants them to find a place on one of the civilian ships, and pick up their lives where they left off before the Cylons kidnapped Kara. They argued, and Sam moved to the Rising Star, while Kara stayed on Galactica with Kacey. The couple was trying to work out their differences.

Lee had been playing the role of good friend to Kara and that of"Uncle Lee" to Kacey. He sometimes looked after Kacey when Kara went out on CAP, or to the Rising Star to try and spend time with Sam and work things out with him. He would listen as Kara ranted about Sam's refusal to accept Kara's decisions about Kara and about putting back on her uniform. Once in a while, Lee would be tempted to try and create a bigger rift between the couple, so he could have a chance with Kara. The old Lee might have done it, but this new Lee was more mature than that. Whether he ended up being Kara's lover, husband, or just a friend, he would do so with honor and would be true to her in whatever role he fell into.

Lee heard a knock at the door to his quarters. "Enter," he said loudly enough to be heard in the corridor.

The hatch opened, and into the room stepped Kara, holding Kacey in her arms.

"Hi," said Lee, with a smile. "This is a surprise."

As he walked over to Kara, the door shutting behind her, Lee saw a look of pure sadness on her face, and the evidence of dried tears on her cheek. "Lee, I'm sorry about this, but…" she began, her voice filled with tension.

"It's okay," said Lee. "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Lee," said the little, tired voice of Kacey in Kara's arms.

Lee reached out and gently took Kacey into his arms. "Hey, Princess," he said, kissing the little girl on the cheek. "How are you?"

"Sad," she said.

Lee looked at Kacey, then at Kara, as another tear fell down Kara's cheek. "What happened?" he said, looking at Kara. Kara tried to speak, but Kacey spoke instead.

"Sam no like me," she said, with a little whimper.

Kara put her hand to her mouth, to stifle a sob. Lee immediately put his arm around Kara and led her to the couch. He sat down gently, with one arm around Kara and the other holding Kacey. Lee decided to help Kacey first, then talk to Kara.

"Kacey, you know your Mommy loves you, right?" asked Lee.

"Yeah," said Kacey. "Love Mommy."

"And you know I love you," said Lee. "And your Grandpa Bill likes you, and Uncle Helo, and Aunt Sharon, and Aunt Cally and Uncle Galen. You've got a lot of people who like you."

"Uh-huh," said Kacey.

"Tell you what," said Lee. "You look tired. Why don't I take you into my room and you can sleep, okay. We'll talk about it in the morning."

"Lee, maybe we should just head back to Galactica," said Kara. "I don't want to burden you…"

Lee stood up. "Its no burden," said Lee. "And you are not going anywhere tonight. Neither of you. That's an order."

Kara smirked slightly. "Yes, sir," she said, with an ever so slight joking tone.

She followed Lee into the bedroom, and helped him put Kacey down for the night. Kara lovingly kissed her daughter on the cheek, and told her goodnight. Lee then leaned over and kissed Kacey good night.

"Love you, Lee," said Kacey, as she began to drift off to sleep.

"I love you, too, little lady," said Lee.

Kara heard her little girl and Lee exchange those words, and contrasted them to what happened earlier. She pondered the contrast in scenes as Lee led her back out to the couch. They sat down, and Lee poured Kara a glass of water.

"What happened?" asked Lee.

"You know I was going to see Anders today," said Kara. "Our once a week 'try to work things out' session."

"Yeah," said Lee. "I take it things didn't go so well."

"I think Sam was expecting things to go the way they usually do," said Kara. "I would come, he would get laid with me, and we would then argue, then agree to talk things over again next week."

"But this time you brought Kacey," said Kara.

"Helo's idea," said Kara. "Since Kacey was a source of the rift between Sam and me, Helo suggested I make Sam confront the problem head one. See how he would react."

"He reacted badly," said Lee.

"He didn't want to see her," said Kara. "Just me. Like I was supposed to lock Kacey in a closet until I left. I did put Kacey in the bedroom of Sam's quarters, and I tried to talk to him. We argued, yelled a lot. He got so…angry, and said things to me I never thought…He said that I was choosing 'that half-breed' over him, that I chose the military over him. He even accused me of maybe liking it if I could have stayed with Leoben and raised Kacey with him."

"What?!!" asked Lee in disbelief.

"I think it was more his anger talking than anything else," said Kara. "But then it got me thinking, and I replied that maybe he was like Leoben. He wanted to lock me away with him and have me all to himself. Then…Kacey came into the room. She was calling to me, and I turned my attention to her. Sam yelled at me again. Then Kacey said 'Mommy', and Sam…turned to her and screamed at her. He yelled 'shut up, you little bastard, she is not your Mommy!'"

Kara's face filled with anger as she remembered the moment. "Little Kacey began crying, and I just snapped. I hit Sam. HARD! As hard as I could!"

"Good," said Lee, who was now angry himself. "He deserved it!"

"I grabbed Kacey and left. We found a quiet little corner of the ship and just cried for a while. I didn't want to go back to Galactica just yet, but the Raptor was due to leave. On the way back, I asked Racetrack to divert to Pegasus. I just…I needed to see a friendly face. I needed to see you. Kacey said she wanted to see you, too."

Lee took Kara's hand in his, and gently rubbed it. "I'm glad you did." He then pulled Kara into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Kara."

Kara started to sob, but then pulled back from Lee. "Frak!" she said, standing up to pace back and forth in the middle of the room.

Lee stood up and stepped in front of her. "What?"

"I'm done crying over that man!" said Kara. "Frak! I am such a love sick frakking idiot!! Here I am making myself sick over Sam, and he treats my child like that! No way!! Lee, it's over. I'm done with him! For good!! I grew up in a home with a parent that didn't want me, that abused me!!! I won't put Kacey through that!! By the gods, she is going to be loved and cherished and cared for! And if Sam can't do that, to HELL with him!"

"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" asked Lee, who put his arms around Kara once again.

Kara looked at him, and nodded. "Yeah, it does."

They just stood there for a moment, looking at one another. Kara then spoke softly and carefully. "You know, as Kacey cried in my arms, you know what she said. 'I want Uncle Lee.' She loves you, and you…you have been so good to her. You love her. I can see it every time you hold her."

"I do," said Lee. "I love Kacey almost like…"

Lee stopped and turned away from Kara, for a moment. He sighed deeply. Kara smiled at his back.

"Like she was your own daughter," said Kara, completing Lee's unfinished sentence.

Lee still wouldn't look at Kara because he was slightly ashamed of what he was about to say. "I wish she was," he said, very quietly. He then composed himself, and turned towards her. Kara had a sort of strange smile on her face.

"How is it that you can accept her so easily, but Sam can't?" asked Kara. "How come you love her, but Sam won't?"

Lee considered for a moment before replying. Finally, he looked into Kara's eyes, and gently stroked her cheek with his hand. "Because when I look at Kacey, I don't see a cylon. I see you. I love her because I see you in her. And no matter what, Kara, I will be there for her. And for you. For as long as I live."

They were silent for a moment, just looking at each other. Slowly, Kara brought her lips to Lee's, and they gently kissed each other. It wasn't a passionate kiss in the traditional sense, or a chaste one. Instead, it was a soft, graceful, sweet kiss that conveyed a sense of love that could never be spoken, even if both had the courage to speak of it in that moment.

They broke the kiss. "You've had a long day," said Lee. "You're spent. Go lay down with Kacey and get some sleep. I'll bunk on the couch."

"Lee," said Kara. "Could you….sleep…with me and Kacey? I'd feel better."

"Are you sure?" asked Lee, hesitantly. "I mean…I don't want to take advantage…"

Kara chuckled. "Lee, it's not like we're going to frak in front of my daughter. I just want you near me…near Kacey and me, while we sleep."

Lee nodded. He followed her into the room, where they found Kacey sleeping peacefully. They gently lay down beside her, Kara putting her arms around Kacey and kissing her on the cheek. Lee put his arms around them both, and kissed Kacey and Kara both good night.

"You know," whispered Kara. "I kind of understand maybe what Sam was feeling. This little girl comes into my life, and I love her…unconditionally. But all that time I was with Sam, I loved him…but I also loved someone else. And now I know why I could never love just Sam. Because the other man I love turned out to be a better choice. I just couldn't see it until Kacey came along. She showed me."

"She's a smart girl," said Lee. "Like her mother."

"Lee, what you said before…about wishing Kacey was your daughter," said Kara.

"Yes," said Lee.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned…she is."

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I have another chapter in mind for this story, but didn't know whether anyone would read it and/or like it or not. So, I leave it up to those who read it? Did you like it enough to want to read another chapter? Let me know with your reviews.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, the public has spoken. Here is chapter two.

By the way, let me make clear that this story in no way should be considered as anything spoiler-oriented for future episodes beyond the Season 3 premiere. This is just pure speculative fic, probably AU, on what will happen down the road. And of course it is a Lee/Kara story, because I love that pairing of characters and I think they should end up together.

So, the story continues.

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Chapter Two:

The next morning, Kara awoke to Kacey crawling on her. This was the little girl's usual way of waking Mommy up to tell her she's hungry.

"Ugh, you couldn't let me sleep longer, huh," said Kara, as she sat up in bed and took Kacey into her arms for a good morning kiss.

But as she looked around, Kara realized she was not in her quarters on Galactica. "Right, Lee's quarters," thought Kara. "Where is Lee?" she asked vocally.

"Lee gone," said Kacey.

"I know, sweety," said Kara. "But where?"

Kara looked around and found a little paper airplane taped to the nearby locker-like closet. She got up and went over to pick up the plane. Seeing it had writing on it, Kara opened the airplane and read the note.

"Had duty in CIC," said the note. "I called the old man, got you the day off. You could use it. Sleep in."

Kara smiled at the note. "Frak, I'd forgotten I had CAP this morning," said Kara. "Thanks Lee."

"Mommy," said Kacey, now tugging at her leg.

Kara chuckled. "Too bad, Lee, you didn't clear your instructions to sleep in with Kacey," she thought.

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A little less than an hour later, Kara carried Kacey through the corridors of the Pegasus towards CIC. Both ladies were fed and feeling cheerful, despite the rough day they had both had experienced yesterday.

When they got to CIC, Kara stood and watched Lee conferencing with one of his officers. Kara stood there for a few moments, until Lee saw her out of the corner of his eye. He smiled slightly at her, and she smiled back. Lee said something else to the other officer, who answered with a "yes, sir," and then stepped away.

Lee approached Kara and Kacey. "Well, I see she didn't let you sleep in too long," said Lee.

"Never," said Kara. "My Kacey's an early to bed, early to rise girl."

"Uncle Lee!" said Kacey, enthusiastically, with a huge smile on her face when she saw Lee.

"Hey, sweety," said Lee, taking Kacey into his arms. "You and Mommy eat something?"

"Uh-huh," Kacey said.

Lee kissed Kacey on the cheek. "Got a kiss for me back?" he asked.

Kacey kissed Lee on the cheek, while Kara just stood and watched with a bright smile.

"So, how are we feeling this morning?" asked Lee of Kara.

"Better," she replied. "Thanks, Lee. For everything."

"Anytime," said Lee. "I have some news for you. Anders is on Galactica, waiting for you. Helo called me about an hour ago."

"What does he want?" asked Kara, with a tone of slight annoyance.

"To talk to you," said Lee. "He wanted to come over here, but I denied him clearance. I wanted to give you some time to prepare."

Kara nodded. "I need to get this over with."

"Are you sure you're ready?" asked Lee.

"No sense putting off the battle," said Kara. "You know me. I don't run from a fight."

"Good," said Lee. "I have a raptor standing by for us."

"You don't need to go," said Kara. "I can do this on my own."

"I'm going with you," said Lee. "You can confront Anders alone if you want, but I'm going to be nearby. That's final."

"Okay," said Kara. "Let's go."

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The ride over to Galactica was a quiet one, at least between Lee and Kara. Kacey loved riding in raptors, and was cooing the whole time in her Mother's lap. Kara just indulged Kacey with a smile, responding to Kacey's constant barrage of words like "stars" and "flying, Mommy."

Lee just watched Kacey in wonder. "You are your Mother's daughter," thought Lee.

After the raptor taxied into Galactica's hangar, Lee and Kara stepped out of the small ship, with Kacey being carried by Kara. Helo was waiting for them.

"Kara," said Helo. "Sir," he added, to Lee.

"Hi, Helo," said Lee, shaking the other man's hand.

"Where is he?" asked Kara.

"Your quarters," said Helo. "I take it things didn't go so well yesterday."

"You're a frakking genius to figure that out, Helo," said Kara, sarcastically.

Helo smirked. "I'll take Kacey if you want," said Helo. "Sharon and Hera are back in our quarters. I'm sure the girls would love to have a chance to play together."

"Here you go," said Kara, handing over Kacey to Helo.

"Hi, Helo," said Kacey.

"Hi, Kacey," said Helo. "Wanna go play with Hera and Aunt Sharon?"

"YEAH!" said Kacey, with great enthusiasm.

While Helo took Kacey in one direction, Lee and Kara headed in the other direction. As they approached the door to Kara's quarters, she slowed down a bit.

"Nervous?" asked Lee.

"Oh, no," said Kara, attempting to sound nonchalant. "Just going in there to end my marriage, that's all. No big thing."

"You want me to go in with you?" asked Lee.

"No," said Kara. "I need to do this alone."

"I'll be right outside," said Lee.

Kara took Lee's hand and squeezed it, and then opened the hatch. Lee watched the door close behind her.

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Sam Anders stood up from the chair he was sitting in when Kara walked in through the door. They stood in silence until Anders finally spoke.

"I've been waiting for you," said Sam. "Several hours."

Kara just stood there, a hard, no-nonsense "Starbuck" expression on her face. She wasn't giving Anders an inch.

"I…I wanted to tell you how sorry I am," said Sam. "For how I treated Kacey yesterday. And for what I said to you. I overreacted. I was angry. It was stupid, and I…I just want to make things right between us. I promise you that I will never treat Kacey like that again. I still have some…issues with…her Cylon origins, but…I'm gonna try and work through them."

Kara clapped her hands slightly. She let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Very good," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. "You must have practiced that little speech a whole bunch to get it right. What's next in the script? I fling myself into your arms, forgive you, and then spread my legs for you?"

"Kara, I meant what I said," said Sam. "I love you."

"But you don't love or even accept my daughter," said Kara.

"Can't you see how hard it is for me?" asked Sam. "Gods, you were gone for four months on New Caprica! I knew about your experience in the Farm, remember? Do you know the thoughts I had about what the Cylons were doing to you? Then, when I found you with that Cylon in that apartment cell of his, with that little girl? The whole thing was just…SICK! The idea of them taking your ovary and making a baby cylon with it…"

"Fine, be sickened by how Kacey came to be!" said Kara. "I am, too. Some woman on Caprica was impregnated with her, probably hooked up to one of those damned Cylon machines. I know all of that! But it's not Kacey's fault! She's an innocent! She's MY DAUGHTER, SAM! You can't accept that! And then you scream at her and frighten her! You tell her I'm not her Mommy! You know how long she cried her little eyes out! HOURS! That is UNACCEPTABLE!"

Kara threw the bag she was carrying on the nearby bed, and let out a huge sigh. Sam walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. She shirked them away, and turned to look at him with a stern expression. "Don't…TOUCH ME!" she said.

"I'm sorry," said Sam. "How do I make it right?"

"You can't," said Kara. "Not for me. Not for Kacey. Sam, you know how I was raised. My mother. What she used to do to me. How she abused me. I won't let that happen to Kacey."

"I won't abuse her," said Sam.

"You already did," said Kara. "Once was more than enough. I won't put her through that ever again. I can't take that chance. Sam, you and I…what we had was great. I loved you. But…it can't go back to the way it was. And where my life is now…you and I just don't work anymore. You don't want me to be Kacey's mother. You don't want me in the military. But that's where I want to be. Where I NEED to be."

Sam shook his head. "I get it," he said. "Where you want to be is with Lee Adama! That's why you went to him last night! It's always been him! He's the 500 pound gorilla in the back of the room! He always was!"

"Maybe so," said Kara. "But I gave him up for you. I saved you from Caprica. I gave up the military for you. I went to live on that planet with you. I thought, at the time, that's what I wanted and needed. But now I know better. I had to give up too much. And you are still asking me to give up all I love for you. I can't and I won't. So, I'm going to have our marriage bonds dissolved."

"What, so you can shack up with Lee Adama!" asked Sam.

"Maybe," said Kara. "How I live my life from now on is none of your business. I will say this. When my baby girl was sad and crying over the way you treated her, she said something to me. She said 'I want Uncle Lee.' He was the one that comforted her, and me, after your little tirade yesterday. He's more than earned a place in Kacey's life, and mine. What that place is…we'll work out ourselves. But you and I are through."

Sam just stared at her for a long moment before speaking again. "So that's it."

"Yes," said Kara. "Now, please leave."

Anders silently refused to move for a little while. Kara just stood there and stared at him with a blank expression. Finally, she turned her back on him, and he finally got the message. It was time for him to leave.

He walked over to the hatch, opened it up, and stepped outside. Standing in the hallway was Lee Adama, who looked at Anders with a stone cold expression.

"So," said Anders, as he closed the door to Kara's quarters. "Here to gloat on your victory…over stealing another man's wife."

"You really don't get it, do you?" asked Lee. "You had her. You had Kara. And you lost her. You have no one to blame but yourself. I'm just here to support Kara if needed. And to give you a message."

"Oh, I see," said Anders, with a chuckle. "This is the part where you tell me to leave Kara alone, right? Being the protective beau?"

"No," said Lee. "Kara can take care of herself. If you come around, and she doesn't want to see you, she'll let you know herself. Like she did yesterday. I see your cheek is starting to bruise from where she let you have it."

Lee stepped closer to Anders, the latter tempted to back away, but proudly standing his ground. "My message to you is this," said Lee, in a quiet, but serious tone. "You will stay away from Kacey." Then, in a slow, but fury filled voice. "And if you EVER frighten that little girl again, I will kill you!"

The threat was simple, and direct, and Anders could see in Lee's demeanor that he meant it. Anders took a step back away from Lee, then turned and walked away without another word.

Lee took a deep breath, then knocked on Kara's hatch. "Come in, Lee," she said, from the inside.

Lee opened the hatch, and found Kara sitting in the chair Anders had been sitting in when she came into the room. "How did you know it was me?" asked Lee.

"Who else could it be at the moment?" asked Kara.

Lee walked over and sat at the table in front of Kara's chair. "What can I do?" asked Lee.

"You're doing it," said Kara. "You're here."

Lee pulled one of Kara's hands to him, and gently held it in his own hand. They sat there for a long time, listening to the quiet of the room.

End of Chapter Two.

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Okay, I have some more ideas about where to take this story, so I will continue to develop those ideas and take the story further than I originally intended. Thanks again for the reviews for the first chapter, and please keep them coming so you all can let me know what you think about the story so far. Stay tuned for more updates.


	3. Chapter 3

Part of this chapter was inspired by something one of those who reviewed chapter one said. I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise, so thanks. This chapter is pretty filled with fluffy sweetness, but there is a more substantive story coming after this. Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, here is the next chapter.

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Chapter Three:

Kara finished zipping up her sweatshirt. Dressed in that, a sports bra, and a pair of shorts, she was ready to head for the gym for her daily workout. She always looked forward to the stress relief her workouts provided after a day flying CAP, filling out paperwork as part of her duties as CAG, and squeezing in some quality time with her daughter.

Before she could head for the hatch to her quarters, she heard someone knock on the outside. "Frak," said Kara. "Who could that be?"

She opened the hatch, and saw a smiling Lee looking at her. "Hey," he said.

Kara smiled. "Hi!" she said, with enthusiasm.

He pulled her to him and kissed her several times. "Hmm, I needed that," said Lee.

"Happy to be of service," said Kara. "How'd your meeting with the Admiral and the President go?"

"Fine," said Lee. "I had just enough time to see you before I head back to the Pegasus. Where's Kacey?"

"With Cally and the Chief," said Kara. "I was just on my way to my workout."

"I noticed," said Lee. "I've always loved seeing you in your workout clothes."

"Why? You have some deeply-buried obsession about watching me work out in these clothes?"

"No," said Lee. "I prefer fantasizing about you working out naked."

Kara chuckled. "Pervert!"

"Yet you are dating me anyway," said Lee. "Care to walk me to the hangar?"

"Sure," said Kara.

In the two weeks since Kara ended things with Sam, she and Lee had become closer to one another. Both of them were tempted to take things to a more intimate level, but both agreed that it was best to take it slow. As Kara put it, they were going to try just dating like couples usually do. Despite the occasional exchange of innuendo, and serious flirtation between the two, Lee and Kara had done nothing more intimate than kiss, and planned to keep it that way for a while.

Kara's wedding bands to Sam still weren't dissolved yet. The rules of the temple require a month of attempted reconciliation after one of the spouses announces their intent to dissolve the bands. Even though both had resigned themselves against reconciliation, Kara's religious faith required her to honor the traditions of the gods.

As Kara and Lee walked down the corridors of Galactica, arm-in-arm, they exchanged stories about their day. They both seemed to enjoy just being together without the complications of intimacy, at least for now.

When they got to the hangar, Lee pulled Kara to him for another kiss. The gesture earned a few catcalls, as usual, from the deckhands and pilots, but the two of them didn't even notice.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner on Pegasus, right?" asked Lee.

"Yep," said Kara. "Me and the princess will be there."

"Good," said Lee. "I miss her. I haven't seen her in a week."

Kara chuckled. "I sometimes think you miss her more than you miss me."

"Never think that," said Lee. "I love both of my pretty blonde ladies."

"Who knew you were such a sucker for blondes?" replied Kara.

They kissed one more time, as Lee said goodbye. She watched him head towards the waiting raptor, and continued to look his way until the hatch on the raptor was closed.

"Pass the word," said a voice over the intercom. "Captain Thrace, report to CIC. Repeat, Captain Thrace to CIC."

"Frak," said Kara, to herself. "So much for my workout."

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The next evening, Kara sat on the couch in Lee's quarters, watching with a smile as Lee was laying on the rug, holding Kacey above him and flying her around like an airplane. The little girl giggled with delight, as Lee made "whee" noises. He then pulled Kacey down to him and kissed her on the cheek.

"You having fun?" asked Lee of the little girl.

"Yeah!" she said. "More! More!"

"In a minute, sweety," said Lee. "My arms are tired."

"She is wearing you out, huh?" commented Kara.

"The little girl is a barrel of energy," said Lee, as he remained on his back on the rug while Kacey crawled on top of him.

The phone in Lee's quarters rang. He sighed, and got up from the floor, gently moving Kacey off to the side. "I wish I could throw that thing out in the corridor sometimes," said Lee.

"Price of command," said Kara, as Lee walked over to his desk.

"Adama," said Lee, into the receiver. He listened for several moments to the caller, while Kara sat down on the rug with Kacey. "Okay, tell him I'll be there momentarily," said Lee.

He hung up the phone and got up from his desk. "Sorry, I've got something to take care of on the flight deck," said Lee. "I'll only be a few minutes."

"You go on ahead," said Kara. "Kacey and I will clean up from dinner."

An hour later, Lee reentered his quarters, and found Kacey fast asleep on the couch, with Kara sitting at Lee's desk reading a book. Kara looked up from her reading, closed her book, and quietly chuckled.

"So much for a few minutes," whispered Kara.

She got up from the desk and walked over to Lee. They embraced and kissed. "Sorry," whispered Lee. "Stinger and the Deck Chief were giving each other shit over something, and needed me to come and mediate things. I feel like a frakking nursemaid sometimes. It doesn't help that Stinger has never fully accepted my command of the Pegasus, though he does his job and obeys orders."

"Doesn't matter if he resents you," said Kara. "Your wearing the Commander's insignia, and he's not."

"True," said Lee. "I guess sometimes I just wish I could be everyone's best friend, like you accused me of wanting once."

"That's not your job," said Kara. "Your job is to command this ship and make me happy."

"Make you happy?" asked Lee, as he rubbed the lower part of Kara's back. "Any suggestions how I do that?"

"Uh-huh," said Kara, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

They kissed for several moments, arms and hands all over each other in the process. Kara, with much effort, then stopped the exchange before it went any further. "Down boy," she said, pulling away from an obviously aroused Lee. "Slow and steady, remember."

"I can go slow and steady," said Lee, with a sly smile.

Kara chuckled. "I am such a bad influence on you. But, it's late, and we really should be going."

"No, don't go," said Lee. "Kacey's sleeping soundly, and…well, I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay," said Kara. "I can stay a while longer, I guess. Can I put Kacey in your bed so we can talk?"

"Sure," said Lee.

Kara gently picked Kacey up without waking her, and carried her into Lee's bedroom. Lee sat down on the couch and waited for her. A few moments later, Kara came out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch with Lee.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Kara.

Lee took a deep breath, and held Kara's hand. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said that night, when you came here with Kacey after Sam blew up at her. About you considering me to be Kacey's father."

Kara became hesitant about where the conversation was going. "Okay," she said.

"It's hard to describe what I've been feeling about that," said Lee. "It's been on my mind…a lot."

"Lee, you did say you wish she was your daughter," said Kara. "I was responding to that when I said what I said. But, if you…are having second thoughts…"

"NO!" said Lee, looking directly into Kara's eyes. "I am not having second thoughts! Well, not really second thoughts. I guess you could say the idea thrills me and scares me at the same time."

"I guess that's natural," said Kara. "I know you love Kacey, but having a child is a big responsibility. You already shoulder so much responsibility in your job."

"It's not that," said Lee. "I mean, you're right, it is a big responsibility."

"Then what?" asked Kara.

Lee sat still for a moment, looking down at his feet, and then back at Kara. "There's something I've never told you about. Dad knows, but he only found out by accident. It's something that I am most ashamed of in my life. And I'm afraid that if I tell you that you won't consider me a good person anymore, or somehow won't trust me with Kacey. But if I don't tell you, then you won't understand where I am coming from."

"Then tell me, Lee," said Kara. "You know so much about the things in my past I'm ashamed of. No one is perfect, and…you know I love you for all that you are."

Lee looked at Kara, and then poured a glass of water. "Before the war, I was seeing someone. You never met her. I didn't start seeing her until after Zak died. Her name was Gianne." He took a drink of water before continuing. "She…was a beautiful young woman. The kind any man would be proud to have. I thought she was what I wanted…what I needed. We lived together, and she was there for me. Always. In a way, she was kind of like Dee."

Kara looked down at her own feet, and then back at Lee, slightly nervous over the mention of Lee's late wife. She waited for Lee to continue.

"And like Dee, I didn't love her as much as I should have," said Lee. "As much as she deserved. Just before I came to Galactica for the decommissioning ceremony, she told me she was pregnant. That we were going to have a baby."

"Oh, gods, Lee," said Kara. "You mean, when the Cylons attacked, your baby….I didn't even know. You must be sick wondering what happened to them."

"I pray that whatever happened, it…happened quickly," said Lee. "That they didn't suffer. They had already suffered enough."

"What?" asked Kara.

"Kara, I didn't love her," said Lee. "Not enough to commit to her and her child. When she told me, I…I broke things off with her. I walked away, from Gianne and the baby. I abandoned them. I just wasn't read to be a father, and I didn't want to be tied to a woman I didn't really love."

Lee got up from the couch and walked over to his desk. He didn't sit at his desk, but rather stood in front of it, and stared at the wall behind where he would normally sit. Lee stood there for several moments, until he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. He felt himself being turned around by the slight nudging of Kara's hand.

Lee faced Kara, who wore a serious expression on her face. "Lee, let me ask you something. Would you abandon Kacey and me?"

"No," said Lee, with confidence. "Gods, no!"

"Would you say you are a different person now than you were then?" asked Kara.

Lee nodded. "In a lot of ways."

"Do you want to run from me and Kacey?" asked Kara.

"Absolutely not," said Lee.

"What's different about me than Gianne?" asked Kara.

"Kara, I feel more for you than I ever could have felt for Gianne," said Lee. "I love you so much."

Kara caressed Lee's face lightly with her fingers. "Then why do you think this would have an effect on us?"

"Because it makes me question my fitness to be Kacey's father, and to be the man you need for her and for you in your life," said Lee. "I am so ashamed of what I did."

"So you should be," said Kara. "I'm not going to sugarcoat that. You were a bastard to that woman, Lee. And if you had done that to me, I would have never forgiven you. But, that is in the past. Gianne is gone, and you can't change what happened. You can just promise me that you will never do it to me."

"My word of honor, Kara," said Lee. "I'll never leave you in that kind of situation. I swear it!"

"Good," said Kara. "Then what happened shouldn't impact on us here and now. Besides, if we based our love on our past deeds, then you would never accept me after my role in Zak's death. I have full confidence in your ability to stand by me. I didn't always, but I do now."

Kara wrapped her arms around Lee, and he returned the gesture. "I love you, Kara," said Lee. "And I love Kacey. Never doubt that."

"And I love you," said Kara.

They kissed once again, and savored the feeling of being in one another's arms.

End of Chapter Three.

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Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Your reviews are welcomed and appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Captain Kara Thrace stepped down from her Viper onto Galactica's hangar deck after coming back from patrol. Cally waited for her at the bottom of the ladder.

"How was your patrol, Captain?" asked Cally.

"Fine, uneventful," replied Kara. "No problems with my bird, either."

"That's good to hear," said Cally.

A voice came over the intercom. "Pass the word for Captain Thrace," said the voice of the comm. officer. "Captain Thrace, report to the Admiral's quarters immediately."

"Frak, I just got back," said Kara. "I still need to check over my bird, go over the CAP reports, and pick up Kasey."

"I'll check over your bird," said Cally. "And I'll pick up Kasey and keep her until you're done.

"Good, thanks," said Kara. "Let me know if there are any problems."

Kara didn't even bother to change out of her flight suit as she headed to Adama's quarters. If the old man was calling her right after she landed on the deck that meant it was pretty important.

Kara entered the Admiral's quarters and found him sitting behind his desk. The President and Lee were both sitting in chairs in front of the desk when Kara walked in. Normally, Kara would have walked over to Lee and had her lips all over his, but this looked like an official meeting. The Admiral had asked them to keep their relationship professional in official situations.

"You wanted to see me, sir," she said.

Lee stood up and motioned for Kara to sit down on the couch. She moved over to the couch and sat, while Lee settled down on the couch next to her. He took her hand and held it gently.

"Kara," said Adama. "Lee and the President were just meeting with me about a report from Talk Wireless that aired an hour ago. You were on CAP at that time, I believe."

"Yes," said Kara. "I don't listen much to Talk Wireless when I'm not on CAP anyway."

"I record the programs for future reference," said the President. "I'd like to play the recording of today's because you should hear what was discussed. I have to warn you though that you are not going to like what was said."

The President pressed the play button on a nearby recorder. A woman's voice was hear mid-broadcast.

"…and so, the fallout from the Quorum's decision to support the President on greater regulation of the drug Kamala is yet to be seen. In other news, another shocking ramification from our time under Cylon occupation on New Caprica has come to light. Apparently, famed Viper pilot Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace returned from New Caprica with a half-Cylon, half-human child! Rumors of hybridization programs initiated by the Cylons upon their occupation of both the original 12 colonies and New Caprica have been rampant, but now we have confirmation from a reliable source that Captain Thrace not only came back with a hybrid child, but that the hybrid in question is her daughter!"

"Oh, frak," said Kara. "We knew this was going to come out eventually, but…"

"Wait, listen," said Adama.

"We now have our field reporter Evander Pericles to fill us in on the details," said the newscaster. "So, Evander, what can you tell us?"

"Well, Sarah," said Evander Pericles. "We have an inside source that has provided details about how this child came to be, and where the child came into contact with its mother. First, the child in question is a girl named Kacey. She is approximately two years old. Our source informs us that this child was created as the result of a Cylon breeding experiment on Caprica. While there retrieving the Arrow of Apollo for President Roslin two years ago, Thrace was captured and held for several days by the Cylons. While there, they removed one of her ovaries, which was then fertilized by a Cylon and implanted into a captive human woman."

"Wait, captive woman?" asked the woman newscaster. "There were people held captive on Caprica for this purpose?"

"Yes," said Pericles. "It seems the rumors of the so-called Cylon breeding farms are true. Captain Thrace's fertilized ovary was implanted into the unwilling human captive, who carried the child to term only to die giving birth to the child. Apparently there were hundreds, if not thousands, of humans held for this purpose on Farms throughout the colonies."

"So this child did not result from sexual contact between Captain Thrace and a Cylon?" asked the first newscaster.

"No," said Pericles. "Our source informs us that while on New Caprica during the occupation, Captain Thrace was held prisoner yet again by the Cylons. The individual Cylon who fertilized Thrace's egg held her in a rather luxurious apartment for four months, and the child was with them for a significant period of that time."

"Sounds very domestic, doesn't it?" asked the woman newscaster, with more than slight sarcasm in her tone.

"SHUT THAT THING OFF!" yelled Kara.

The President turned off the recorder. "Those BASTARDS think that time I spent in HELL in that prison was DOMESTIC!" yelled Kara.

Lee held Kara and tried to soothe her, but she would not be calmed down so easily. "Kara, I'm afraid there's more," said Adama.

"What's next! They speculate on the sexual positions I used with that Cylon bastard!" asked Kara, her voice filled with fury.

"Just listen," said Adama. He nodded towards Roslin, who turned back on the reporter.

"Well, our source did say that Thrace was an unwilling prisoner," said Pericles. "If anything did go on, it was probably not with her explicit consent. It should be said that there is no clear evidence that Captain Thrace ever engaged in any kind of sexual contact with a Cylon, willing or otherwise."

"Back to this little girl," said Sarah, the female newscaster. "The hybrid. Captain Thrace still has the child?"

"Yes, the child is alive and well and living with Captain Thrace aboard Galactica," said Pericles. "Captain Thrace thinks of the child as her daughter, and intends to raise it. Her husband, Sam Anders, apparently broke off the marriage with Captain Thrace over the child."

"I broke it off with him," said Kara, as she corrected the reporter like he could hear her.

"No wonder," said the other newscaster. "I'd bet that was an interesting spousal chat they had when Thrace brought that hybrid home."

"Well, not everyone is unhappy about it," said Pericles. "We've all heard the stories about Thrace and her alleged dalliances with Commander Lee Adama, son of Admiral Adama and the commander of the Pegasus. Apparently, Thrace has been quite domestic with him since her marriage fell apart, and the child is quite taken with Commander Adama and vice versa."

"It should be said that we have tried to reach the President and Admiral Adama for comment on this issue, but both said they had nothing to say at this point," said the other newscaster.

"We didn't want to comment until we discussed things," said Adama.

"But not everyone is remaining silent on this issue," said the female newscaster. "Philosopher and Lecturer Antoninus Labreth is here with us today. Welcome to the program, Mr. Labreth."

"Thank you, it is an honor to be here to discuss this important issue with you," said Labreth.

"Sir, you have spoken out quite extensively about the possible danger posed by Cylon infiltrators that may be hiding among us," said the newscaster.

"Yes," said Labreth. "We must always remember that we saw what some of the humanoid Cylons look like on New Caprica, but not ALL of them! And now, not only do we face the attempted extermination and domination of humanity by these evil, unholy machines, but now we are confronted with a threat to our own soul! Our humanity, the identity of humanity itself, is threatened by the existence of this hybrid and all others like it! This is not a child we are talking about! It may look like a child; it may seem like a child! But we must always remember that the scriptures say that sometimes evil may wear a pleasant face! Indeed, some of the humanoid Cylons we know about are quite physically attractive people! They speak in sweet voices just before they torture, enslave, and kill you."

"So, Mr. Labreth, if this child is a threat, then what should be done?" asked the newscaster.

"This ABOMINATION should not be allowed to exist among us!" said Labreth, forcefully. "For it to be sheltered on one of the ships guarding the remnants of humanity is APPALLING! This fiendish little demon sent by the Cylon devils should be cast out from among us, or sent to the bowels of hell from which it was conceived!"

"Wait, are you saying that the child should be killed?" asked the newscaster.

"This abomination should be eliminated, euthanized, or at the very least sent away from us!" replied Labreth. "The thing is a machine! Find its OFF SWITCH!"

President Roslin shut off the recorder. Kara stood up from the couch and began pacing around the room.

"That SON OF A BITCH wants to kill my BABY!" said Kara, her voice filled with rage. "If he so much as comes NEAR HER, I will shut HIS ASS OFF! Painfully!"

"Kara," said Lee, as he got up and went to Kara. He put his hands on her arms, which were now crossed over her chest, and pulled her to him. "Shh, don't worry," said Lee. "We won't let anything happen to her."

"Please, Kara, I know this upsets you," said President Roslin, in a soothing tone. "We felt that you needed to know about this, and wanted to tell you before you found out second hand."

"Rest assured, Kara," said Adama. "I will not let anyone hurt your daughter. Not on this ship."

"Meanwhile, Labreth and those reporters are bad mouthing you and Kacey around the fleet," said Lee. "It's gonna make things difficult."

"Look, I can handle talk about me," said Kara. "I mean, I've never been the poster child of proper behavior. But Kacey. I mean, right now she probably won't hear about this, or even understand if she does, but in the future she probably will. And now, there is some hot head out there threatening to kill her."

"Kara, you had to know this might happen," said Lee. "I mean, there is a lot of bitterness out there towards the Cylons."

"With good reason," said Kara. "I'm not denying that. I guess I was just stupid enough to hope that we could either keep Kacey's origins under wraps, or that people could see her as I do."

"A lot of people do," said Adama. "But others don't. Even on this ship, there are people, I'm sure, that are not comfortable with Kacey's half-Cylon heritage."

"There are two questions we need to answer right now," said Roslin. "First, who is this 'inside source' the reporters are talking about? And second, what do we do about this?"

"Let's start with the first," said Adama. "Who all knows about Kacey?"

"A lot of people know she is a hybrid," said Kara. "But to know THAT many details about her conception. Very few know that much."

"Who?" asked Roslin.

"Well, me, Lee, the two of you," said Kara. "I assume no one here blabbed."

"Who else?" asked Lee.

"Helo, Sharon, Cally, Tyrol," said Kara. "I trust them not to say anything. Colonel Tigh, who wouldn't say anything either, I'm sure. He hates reporters, almost as much as he hates Cylons. There's the Cylons thesmelves, maybe some who were New Caprica Police that we haven't found yet."

"We're forgetting someone," said Lee. He looked pointedly at Kara. "Who else knows that much and is bitter over Kacey because of your feelings for her?"

Kara looked at Lee, and then a look of understanding passed over her face. "Anders," she whispered. "No. I can't believe he would go that far. I mean, if he did this, then I never really knew him at all."

"You'd better have a word with him," said Adama.

"Our marriage bonds are being dissolved tomorrow," said Kara. "I'll ask him then."

"You sure you don't want me to be there?" asked Lee. "Especially after the possibility…"

"No," said Kara. "I want to handle this alone. It will be done here on Galactica. Helo and Cally will be witnesses. I'll ask him afterwards. If you were there, it would just cause problems. I think I can get him to be straight with me if you aren't there."

"That leaves problem two," said Roslin. "Kara, I would like you to consider doing a press conference, with Kacey in attendance. Let the public see that she is a child…"

"NO!" said Kara. "No, I am not going to parade her in front of the public for all to see like that. I won't use her as some kind of publicity tool."

"Kara, if we could humanize her in the eyes of the public…" began Roslin.

"She is HUMAN already!" said Kara. "Human enough for me, and for those I love and care about! That's good enough for me. FRAK what the rest of the world thinks!"

"Kara, she is going to have to grow up in that world," said Adama. "Perhaps if she were presented to it early as…"

"No, sir," said Kacey. "She'll meet the world with me by her side. I'll help her fight her battles in it and with it when they come along. But I won't have her find out someday that I paraded her in front of the press to save myself some grief."

"It wouldn't be just for you," said Roslin. "It would be for her sake as well."

"Lee, you've been pretty silent on this issue," said Adama, as he knew his son's influence on Kara. "What do you think?"

Lee looked at Kara, and then his father. "I think I know why you asked me," said Lee, as he checked his father's move. "And my answer is that I support Kara's position on this. She has made up her mind, she is Kacey's mother, and I support her."

Roslin let out a sigh. "Very well," said Roslin. "We won't bring Kacey before the press. But what about you, Kara, and Lee. You should both make some kind of statement to the press. We could do it under controlled circumstances. Perhaps an interview with one reporter. At the very least, you can tell about your experiences as a Cylon prisoner, and dispel the innuendo about it."

"I don't know," said Kara. "I'd be liable to make things worse. I just…don't know."

"Look, it has taken Kara a lot to get over what happened to her, both times she was held captive by the Cylons," said Lee. "I don't think she should have to dredge all that back up again because of the speculations of some tabloid journalists. Maybe I can do an interview, and present Kara's side for her."

"Son, I admire your willingness to defend Kara's honor and reputation," said Adama. "But anything like that must come from her to carry the weight it needs."

"Bill is right," said Roslin. "Think about it, Kara. But don't take too long. In the meantime, I will try to deal with the ramifications of this as best I can. Kara, know that I am on your side here."

"We all are," said Adama. "We just want what's best for you and Kacey."

"Thank you," said Kara. "For telling me about this."

"Come on," said Lee. "I'll walk you to quarters."

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After Lee walked with Kara to pick up Kacey, and then brought them both back to their quarters, Lee had to bid goodbye to them and return to the Pegasus. His duties to his ship and crew beckoned, and he had already been away from his ship for several hours.

But on the way back to Pegasus in a Raptor, Lee contemplated all that had been said on the wireless earlier. Someone had threatened to kill that beautiful little girl, and he didn't like it. Even while he tried to soothe Kara's anger, he himself had to fight the anger within him over the threats to Kacey's life. As far as he was concerned, Antoninus Labreth had threatened his little girl. He decided he had to do something about it.

"CoolHand," he said to the Raptor's ECO. "Get me Pegasus on secure channel. I want to speak with Major Hoshi."

"Yes, sir," said CoolHand. He activated the Raptor's comm. "Pegasus, Raptor 25 on secure channel. Pegasus Actual requesting to speak with the XO."

A few moments later, Major Hoshi's voice could be heard over the com. "Sir," he said.

"Hoshi, access the civilian registry," said Lee. "Find me the whereabouts of an Antoninus Labreth. Do it quietly, Hoshi?"

"Stand by, sir," said Hoshi.

Lee waited impatiently for Hoshi to respond. A minute later, the latter's voice spoke over the com. "Sir, Labreth is listed as quartered on the Perilous Voyager. May I ask why you wanted to know?"

"Sorry, Hoshi, need to know," said Lee. "I'll need you to take over the maintenance inspection for me. I'll be delayed in returning to Pegasus."

"Are the reasons for your delay need to know too, sir?" asked Hoshi.

"Yes," said Lee. "Sorry, Hoshi, but this is something I have to take care of, and I can't discuss it with you. Pegasus Actual out." He cut off the comm. transmission, and spoke to the Raptor pilot. "Boxman, divert course to the Perilous Voyager. CoolHand, contact the ship's Captain and inform him of our arrival."

"Yes, sir," replied Boxman and CoolHand.

Lee pulled a sidearm out of the Raptor's armaments locker. He pulled the pistol out of its holster, checked to see that it was loaded, and then returned the weapon to its sheath. He put the holster belt around his waist, and then waited for his Raptor to arrive at its destination.

End of Chapter Four. Chapter Five coming soon.

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Don't you just love a good cliffhanger? Want to find out what Lee is gonna do? Any guesses as to what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, please continue to provide me some feedback through reviews. I really appreciate all of the wonderful feedback I have received so far, and look foward to seeing what you think about the direction the story is now going in.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Antoninus Labreth was sitting in his quarters reading a book when he heard a knock at the door. He sighed, closed his book, and walked over to the door. Labreth opened the door and found a stern looking colonial officer staring at him.

"Are you Mr. Antoninus Labreth?"asked the young man in the uniform.

Labreth looked him over and then smirked. "Well, you must be Commander Lee Adama," he said.

Lee smirked back. "Very perceptive," said Lee. "How did you know?"

"You are wearing a uniform with the rank of a Commander," said Labreth. "Your arm patch indicates you serve on the Pegasus. Plus, considering what I said on talk wireless today, I have been expecting you or your father, or perhaps Captain Thrace herself, to be visiting me."

Labreth took a pointed look to the holstered sidearm on Lee's right hip. "The gun is interesting," said Labreth, calmly. "Do you intend to shoot me with it?"

"Not at the moment," replied Lee, with a calm an even tone.

"That sounds like veiled threat," said Labreth.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was it veiled?" asked Lee, with a sarcastic tone worthy of Starbuck herself.

Labreth motioned for Lee to enter. The latter stepped slowly and cautiously into Labreth's quarters. "You can relax, Commander," said Labreth. "I do not have weapons. I prefer the pen and the word to the sword."

"Yes, your words today were quite direct and threatening," said Lee. "Which is why I am here."

"Please, at least we can sit down while you threaten me," said Labreth, who sat down in the chair he was sitting in before Lee came in. Lee sat down in a nearby chair, and stared at Labreth for a long moment.

"Commander," said Labreth. "I can understand your anger over what was said about Captain Thrace on the wireless today. Those comments by that reporter, suggesting that she engaged in sexual relations with a Cylon, were appalling. Any human who would have sex with a Cylon is beyond contempt! I want you to know that I consider Kara Thrace to be a victim of a vile Cylon experiment. I should have made that more clear on the air today. Please convey my apologies to her for me."

Lee found himself somewhat disarmed by Labreth's comments. Unlike the raving fanatic he listened to earlier, Labreth seemed quite reasonable and non-threatening.

"I will," said Lee. "But I'm here to discuss what YOU said. About Kacey."

"Commander, may I ask you, did you loose people back on the colonies when the Cylons attacked?" asked Labreth.

Before Lee responded, Labreth spoke again. "Of course, that was a foolish question; we all lost someone back there. Me, you, everyone. But was it enough that the Cylons killed so many of our people? They go on to enslave the survivors back there in breeding farms for vile experiments for cross breeding themselves with humans. The gods set us apart from all other living things, and these Cylons seek to violate the very will of the gods. The hybrid you call Kacey is the result of one of those experiments. She is an unholy thing!"

"She is not a THING," said Lee. "She is a little girl. An innocent child. She's never done anything to harm anyone. She is the child of a woman that I love and care for."

"Did Kara Thrace bear this child?" asked Labreth. "Bring it into the world? No! The Cylons violated her by removing one of her ovaries, and used the eggs inside to make Kacey in a laboratory. Mixed with the sperm of a Cylon, the egg was then implanted into an unwilling human slave, who then died bringing that thing into the world."

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know!" said Lee. "But Kara and I REFUSE to hold Kacey responsible for what was done to bring her into the world!"

"Don't you see, Commander!" said Labreth. "This CHILD as YOU call her was the result of Cylon EVIL! Therefore the hybrid itself is EVIL!"

"No one is born evil!" said Lee.

"Oh, were not the humanoid Cylons bred to hate humanity?!" said Labreth. "Were they not born evil?!"

"No, they were born because of human stupidity and arrogance," said Lee.

"Yes, the arrogance of humanity to dare to take the place of the gods and bring about the birth of a new species, even if it was a mechanical one," said Labreth. "I believe your father said it best in a speech given just before the Cylons attacked. 'We decided to play god and create life.' We did, and the Cylons were born from that arrogant, unholy act. The hybrid is just the latest repercussion of a great sin!"

Lee stood up forcefully. "Look, Labreth, I didn't come here to have a philosophical debate with you!" said Lee. "I'm here as someone who loves Kacey! And I'm here to tell you that…!"

"What?!" yelled Labreth, who rose from his chair. "To keep my mouth shut! Last time I looked, freedom of speech was one right protected by the Articles of Colonization! The same articles that YOU challenged your father to defend when the Admiral removed the President from her post! And yet you stand here now attacking my rights under the very same articles you almost threw away your freedom and career to defend! You hypocrite!!"

"Freedom of speech does not give you the right to threaten the life of a child!" countered Lee.

"I didn't threaten to kill her myself!" said Labreth. "I said that she should be eliminated! There is a difference!"

"I'm not going to argue semantics with you!" said Lee. "I'm here to give you a warning! If you try to turn your words into actions, you will have to get through me to get to that child! You stay away from Kacey and her mother, or I will return with more than words for you!"

Lee stormed out of Labreth's quarters, and the latter watched him go with a sardonic smile. "Pleasure meeting you, Commander," he said to Lee's retreating form. "Thank you so much for this visit."

Lee didn't even pause as he slammed the door shut behind him.

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The next day, Kara and Sam faced each other in front of a priest, while Helo and Cally looked on. Both Kara and Sam had stony expressions on their faces, as they priest took a rope and tied it loosely between their arms.

"Kara and Sam," said the priest, stoically. "Have you been unable to repair the damage done to the bonds between you?"

"Yes," said Kara and Sam, almost simultaneously.

"Are you irreconcilably separated from one another, both in heart and in fact?" asked the priest.

"Yes," said Kara.

Sam hesitated, and then said, "Yes."

"Very well," said the priest. "Then, in the eyes of the gods, your bonds of marriage are broken. They are hereby severed."

The priest took a knife and cut the rope tied between Kara and Sam. "You are unsealed," said the priest. "Go with the gods, my children. So say we all."

"So say we all," said everyone in the room in unison.

The priest, Cally, and Helo, left the room where the ceremony was held. Kara grabbed Sam's arm and held him back. They waited until everyone left the room until they spoke.

"I need to speak with you," said Kara.

"I suppose this isn't to offer me one last frak for old time's sake," said Sam, with a smirk.

Kara looked at him with a stern expression. "Notice I don't find that funny," said Kara.

Sam's face turned serious as well. "Sorry," he said. "What is it?"

"Sam, did you hear about the story on Kacey and me on Talk Wireless yesterday?"

"Yes," said Sam, with a sigh.

"Sam, they knew things about what happened to me. About Kacey. Very few people knew them. You were one of them."

"Kara, I know what you are asking," said Sam. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The answer is yes. I think I am the source they were referring to."

Kara punched Sam across the jaw without warning. Sam reeled from the blow and spiraled into the nearby wall.

"You BASTARD!" yelled Kara. "You just had to get your revenge! You frakking BASTARD!!!"

"Kara, wait," said Sam, rubbing his jaw. "Look, I didn't know, okay. I didn't give an interview or anything. I don't know who got the word to the press!"

"But you think you are the source!" said Kara.

"Yes. Look, Kara, that day you told me you wanted to dissolve our marriage bonds, I went to a bar on the Rising Star. I got hammered, and started blabbing to these guys about you and Kacey. I was so angry and hurt and I just…snapped! I didn't mean to cause you and Kacey any problems! Someone there must have gone to the press. I really don't know. Look, I'm sorry, Kara. Really. I was drunk and angry…"

"Save it," said Kara, with a quieter, resigned expression. "This just confirms for me that I've made the right decision. You're not the one for me, or Kacey. Goodbye, Sam."

Kara walked out of the room. Sam didn't try to stop her.

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Two nights later, Lee and Kara sat on the couch in Lee's quarters on the Pegasus. Kara came over to join Lee for dinner, but they had finished eating and were now making out on the couch. Kara was in Lee's lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her, and their hands all over one another. They had been kissing for several minutes before they came up for air.

"So, you still sorry I didn't bring Kacey tonight?" asked Kara.

"A little, I do miss her," replied Lee. "But I have to say, seeing you in that dress when you stepped off of the Raptor, my thoughts weren't on Kacey."

Kara chuckled, as she remembered the appreciative stare Lee had for Kara earlier. She decided to wear a dress for Lee on this occasion, so she managed to scrounge up a simple, low cut red dress that one of the female deckhands had in her locker. After a few alterations, the dress fit snugly onto Kara's body. When she stepped onto Pegasus' deck, she looked like a million bucks.

"I clean up good sometimes, huh," said Kara.

"Clean up good," said Lee. "Kara, you look amazing! Gods, I love you."

"I love you, too," said Kara, kissing Lee one more time. She then reached down for the fastener on Lee's pants. "And I have kept you waiting for FAR too long!"

Lee reached his hands under Kara's dress and began rubbing her back seductively. Unfortunately, neither of them could go any further, because the phone on Lee's desk began to ring.

"FRAK!" yelled Kara.

"Sorry," said Lee, who gently moved Kara off of him and went over to his desk, refastening his pants along the way.

"Adama," he said into the phone, trying not to sound too flustered. "Yes, put him through." A few moments later, Lee spoke again. "Sir," he said.

"Lee, I just received a call from the President," said Admiral Adama, on the other end of the phone. "Did you go and see Antoninus Labreth a couple of nights ago?"

Lee took a deep breath. "Yes," he said.

"Did you threaten him?" asked Adama.

"I just told him to leave Kacey and Kara alone," said Lee.

"Were you armed?" asked Adama.

"Yes," said Lee.

Adama took a deep breath. "Dammit, Lee!" he said. "You went off half cocked, and now you have made things worse!"

"How?" asked Lee.

"I assume you didn't listen to Talk Wireless this evening," said Adama.

"No, I was otherwise occupied," said Lee, looking over at the couch at a waiting Kara.

"Labreth was on Wireless, accusing you of threatening his life," said Adama. "He accused you of being a hothead, charging into his quarters with a gun, and threatening to use it."

"Dad, it wasn't like that," said Lee.

"The President said that this seriously threatens our position on this issue, and I concur."

"Kacey is NOT an issue," said Lee. "She is Kara's daughter, and I was not going to stand by and listen to someone threaten her!"

"Lee, all you have done is given more weight to Labreth's argument," said Adama. "He is now speculating publicly that you and others are under some kind of Cylon influence through Kacey."

"That's ridiculous," said Lee. "Who in their right mind…"

"Lee, regardless, the public doesn't like it when colonial officers of high rank barge into civilian's rooms with guns," said Adama. "Regardless of what really happened, this looks bad."

Lee took a deep breath. "You know, Labreth was surprisingly civil to me the whole time I was there. He must have known that he could use my visit to his advantage."

"You gave him more ammunition, Lee," said Adama. "It was a bad tactical move. You were thinking with your heart, not your head."

"I thought you once told me I need to do that more often," said Lee.

"There's a time and place for everything, son," said Adama. "That wasn't it. Don't you think I wanted to go down there and crush that guy's skull for threatening that little girl? Heck, she is sleeping on the couch in my quarters right now because I told Kara I would take care of her this evening. I love her, too. And I love Kara like my own daughter. You know that!"

"I know," said Lee. "I'm sorry."

Adama took a deep breath. "Lee, the President and I will try to do damage control. In the meantime, you lay low until this all blows over. And under no circumstances are you to go anywhere near Labreth. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," said Lee.

"Tell Kara that order goes for her, too," said Adama. "Now, go back to your evening."

"I will, sir," said Lee. "Thank you."

"Oh, and Lee."

"Yes, Dad."

"I saw that dress Kara was wearing when she left. My CAG has a CAP to fly tomorrow. I'd like her to be capable of walking to her Viper tomorrow to do it."

Lee was shocked into silence, listening to the highly suggestive remark his father made. "Dad," he stammered.

Adama chuckled on the other end. "Good night, son."

Lee hung up the phone, and then looked at Kara. "What happened?" asked Kara.

"Oh, I paid Labreth a little visit the other night, and apparently he is playing it up politically," said Lee.

"A little visit," said Kara, as Lee sat next to her on the couch. "The kind that involves you pounding his face into a bulkhead?"

"No," said Lee. "All I did was talk to him. I brought a sidearm because I didn't know what I was walking into. I didn't pull it, and all I did was tell him to leave you and Kacey alone."

"Well, you did a lot better with him than I did with Anders," said Kara. "But Lee, you can't go picking a fight with everyone that has a problem with me or Kacey. Your position as commander of this ship doesn't allow for it."

"Kara, he threatened Kacey's life," said Lee. "I just can't stand by and watch that without responding."

"Lee, I've come to realize that Kacey is going to have to face a lot of prejudice in her life because of her origins," said Kara. "I don't like it any more than you do. And if Labreth, or anyone else, tries to hurt her, I will 'respond,' as you put it. Or you will, or we both will. But what can Labreth do? Talk. That's it."

"You hope," said Lee.

Lee leaned back and let out a huge breath. Kara looked at him pointedly. "You could always back out," she said. "Walk away. After all, Kacey's not your kid. She doesn't have to be your problem."

Lee looked just as pointedly at Kara. He reached up and caressed her face with his fingers. "No way," he said. "You're stuck with me. So is she. I love both of you so much. You are my family, Kara. I will NEVER leave you, as long I live."

Kara leaned into Lee and kissed him gently on the lips. She then rested her head in the crook of his neck, as he wrapped his arms around her. "I definitely made the right decision," said Kara.

"Hmm?" replied Lee.

"Picking you over Sam," she said. "Sam gets drunk and causes trouble for me and Kacey. You step up to defend us at every opportunity. I love you, Lee. Thank you."

"My pleasure," said Lee.

Kara looked at Lee with a strange expression. "What did your father say to you at the end that made you stammer like that?"

Lee coughed slightly, and then looked at Kara with a smile. "He saw you leave in that dress," he said. "And he suggested that I don't, well, wear you out too much."

Kara chuckled. She then began to run her lips over the nape of Lee's neck. "Care to see if you can wear me out?" asked Kara, seductively.

Lee responded by standing up, with his arms wrapped around Kara. "Let's move this conversation to my bedroom and find out."

"Yes, sir," said Kara, her voice a mixture of amusement and sexuality, as they headed for the bed waiting in the next room.

End of Chapter Five. Chapter Six coming soon.

-----------------------------------------

See, even though the story has broadened out a little bit, there is still plenty of Lee/Kara romance here for you. My idea is for this story not only to be a romantic and family story for Lee, Kara, and Kacey, but also to be a story with a little bit of some social discussion tossed in. Kind of like BSG itself. Anyhow, thanks for the reviews I have been getting, and please keep that feedback coming.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, obviously this story is AU now, but I am still going to keep it going. If there are several days between the times I post new chapters, don't worry. More are coming, it's just real life getting in the way of gettting them ready for you. In the meantime, here is the next installment:

Chapter Six:

Kara sat at the small desk in her quarters on the Galactica, catching up on paperwork. She had been letting the work pile up because she was spending so much time with Lee and Kacey. Now, as Kacey played, she worked diligently on pilot evaluations, CAP reports, and duty logs, all a part of her responsibilities as Galactica's CAG.

A knock at the hatch interrupted her work. "Frak," she said quietly to herself. "Whenever I'm swamped, people always come for little visits."

She sighed and got up from her desk. Opening the hatch, she found Lee Adama standing outside with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hey," she said. "I didn't know you were coming to Galactica today."

"It was unexpected," said Lee. He pulled Kara into a hug, and just held onto her for a long moment.

She pulled back and kissed him gently on the lips. "Normally I'd be very glad to see you, but seeing you lately has put me way behind on paperwork."

"Kara, I need to talk to you," said Lee. "It's important."

"Lee, I…" she was about to protest about the paperwork that she was behind on, but the look on Lee's face told her it was important. "Okay," she said. "Come in."

"LEE!" said an excited little Kacey, who ran over and held her hands up to Lee.

Lee picked Kacey up and kissed her on the cheek. "How's my pretty little princess today?" he asked.

"Mommy's busy," she said. "I'm playing with my doll."

Lee had managed to get Kacey a little doll from somewhere in the fleet. It was now her favorite toy. "Glad to see you and your doll are having fun," he said.

There was another knock at the hatch. "Frak, when it rains, it pours," said Kara.

"It's probably Cally," said Lee. "I asked her to come and get Kacey."

Kara opened the door, and sure enough it was Cally. "Hey, Captain," said Cally. "I'm here for Kacey."

Kara looked at Lee, and saw the look on his face again that silently asked her to cooperate. "Sure, Cally, go ahead," said Kara. "I'll come by and get her when we're done."

"Hi Cally," said Kacey.

"Hey, sweetie," said Cally. She took Kacey from Lee's arms. "Wanna come with me?"

"Want Lee," said Kacey, as she began to get upset about being taken from Lee's arms.

"Hey," said Lee, as he walked over and stroked Kacey's hair. "I'll come get you later. Momma and I need to talk. I promise. I'll come see you later."

He kissed Kacey's head. "Go with Cally now, okay," said Lee.

"Okay," said Kacey.

"I'll be in my quarters when you want her back," said Cally.

Kara closed the hatch behind Cally after she left. She then turned to face Lee. "Okay, we're alone. What is it?"

"Here, let's sit down," said Lee.

The couple sat down next to one another on Kara's bed. Lee was quiet for a moment, but finally worked up the courage to speak. "Kara, do you remember I told about the time I spent with that Socialator?"

"The one you were frakking before you hooked up with Dee," said Kara. "Yeah. I still can't believe you paid a woman for sex. With your looks, you shouldn't have to. What was her name?

"Shevon," said Lee.

"Why are you bringing her up now?"

"She's dead," said Lee. "Her body was found this morning in a cargo hold on one of the freighters. She was murdered."

"Murdered?" asked Kara. "How?"

"Dad says their still investigating what happened," said Lee. "Apparently, Shevon's, um, employer…"

"Her pimp, you mean," said Kara, with disdain.

"Right," said Lee. "Well, he said that she was sent to the freighter to meet with a customer. Normally, she works out of her quarters, but this guy wanted her for a few days. Or so Shevon's pimp was told."

"Sounds like a trap," said Kara. "But why?"

"Kara, Shevon wasn't just killed," said Lee. "She was stripped naked, severely beaten and then strangled. And her body was mutilated."

"How?" asked Kara.

"Whoever did it carved words into her chest," said Lee. "The words read 'Cylon Whore.'"

"Why would they do that to her?"

"As you know, the President kept tabs on a lot of people during the occupation of New Caprica that aided the Cylons," said Lee.

"We used the information to hunt down collaborators after the occupation was over," said Kara. "Roslin's people were detailed in their intelligence gathering."

"There were more than just collaborators in those files," said Lee. "Apparently, there were some people that did certain things for the Cylons in exchange for better living conditions, more rations, whatever."

"Right," said Kara. "Tigh told me about them. We decided to not go after them because they didn't really give any kind of military aid or assistance to the Cylons, and they didn't take part in hurting anyone. They mainly worked as servants or clerks or janitorial staff." She then hesitated before continuing. "And then some…"

"Did more," said Lee. "Shevon was one of them. Apparently, whenever one of the male Cylons got an itch, so to speak, Shevon was one of a few women who made themselves available to scratch it."

"A Cylon's Whore," said Kara. "Frak, why would she?"

"She was a dope addict," said Lee. "I was getting her drugs while we were seeing one another. She told me it was for her little girl, Paya, who was sick. But the girl wasn't even hers. Shevon was actually using the stuff herself."

"So she got dope from the Cylons, and in exchange she frakked them," said Kara.

"According to Roslin's information, they put her up in an apartment similar to the one Leoben kept you in," said Lee. "But Shevon was free to come and go. As long as she was available when…"

"Right," said Kara. "So, the Old Man decided you needed to know because of your past relationship with Shevon."

"That, and the people who did this obviously did it because she fraternized with the Cylons," said Lee. "Now, we both know you didn't, but…"

"I was held in an apartment-like cell by a Cylon for four months," said Kara. "And I came out of it with a half-Cylon kid."

"The person or persons who did this to Shevon might come after you and Kacey next," said Lee. "Dad wanted to tell me, then both of us tell you, but I asked him to talk to you about it myself."

"Do you think it's Labreth?" asked Kara. "That bastard has been all over the wireless trashing me, Kacey, and you."

"There's no evidence of his involvement," said Lee. "He's being investigated. Dad's already warned me not to go near him. It would just make things worse. He told me to do the same to you."

"Meanwhile, me and Kacey are under the gun," said Kara.

"That's another reason why I wanted to talk to you," said Lee. "I want you to come to the Pegasus. You and Kacey. Stay with me a while until this whole thing is settled."

Kara chuckled. "What, I huddle in your quarters with Kacey like it's a bomb shelter?"

"With a squad of my marines guarding the door, yes," said Lee.

"Lee, I can't do that, I have duties," said Kara. "And I refuse to run and hide from these people. Besides, Kacey and I are safe enough aboard Galactica."

"It's just that I won't be here with you to make sure…"

Kara gently cupped Lee's face with her right hand. She then leaned in and kissed him on the lips, interrupting his statement. After breaking the kiss, Kara smiled at him. "I know you want to protect Kacey and me. I love you for it. But you can't lock us in your quarters and keep us there."

"It would keep you safe," said Lee.

"Leoben said the same thing when he kept Kacey and me," said Kara.

Lee stood up from the bed and looked at Kara with a startled expression. "You really think that I am like that frakking CYLON?!"

"No," said Kara. "Not really. Look, I'm sorry. That was stupid of me to say. It's just; the idea of being confined for any reason just makes me feel uneasy. Sometimes at night, when I wake up in this room, I feel confined. I have to go out into the corridor and take deep breaths."

"I guess you can't go around hitting people and getting locked up in the brig anymore, huh," said Lee, quietly.

Kara chuckled and so did Lee.

"Look, Kara, I'm sorry I got upset with you. I didn't even make a connection between what happened to you and my idea of keeping you on Pegasus."

"Because Leoben was an obsessed maniac that wanted to keep me as his personal toy," said Kara. "You want to keep me to protect me." She got up and put her arms around Lee. He returned the gesture and held her close. "I recognize the difference."

"But still no go, huh," said Lee. "I mean, the idea of you and Kacey coming to stay with me?"

"Lee, we both love spending time with you aboard Pegasus," said Kara. "But I will not teach my child to cower in fear. And I won't do the same. Kacey and I are going to go about our lives. If we don't, then those frakkers who hate us win."

Lee stroked Kara's hair and kissed her once again on the lips. "Okay," he said, after breaking the kiss. "Maybe you're right. I just don't want to see anything happen to the two of you. You and that little girl mean the world to me."

"And we both love you," said Kara. "Don't worry. We'll be okay."

"Well, to make me feel better, can I ask a favor?" asked Lee.

"Sure," said Kara.

"I left my XO in charge of the Pegasus until tomorrow morning," said Lee. "Told him it was a good opportunity for command training. Let me stay here with you and Kacey tonight?"

"Lee, you don't have to…."

"For me. Please. To make me feel better."

Kara just smirked at him. "You know I love sleeping with you. So sure. But you know, this is just one room with two beds in it. Kacey will be sleeping in one of them, so all we can do tonight is sleep together."

"Just sleeping is fine," said Lee. "I would like Kacey to be here with us tonight."

"Okay," said Kara. "But, in the meantime, I do have work to do."

"Are you sure?" asked Lee. "I mean, Cally has Kacey for now, and we could go and get her later."

Lee began to gently rub Kara's backside. She smiled at him. "Lee Adama, I am such a bad influence on you. But I really do have work to do." He began kissing Kara on the neck. "Oh, frak, and your are a bad influence on me."

End of Chapter Six. Chapter Seven coming soon.

Thanks for all the reviews I have gotten so far. Please keep the feedback coming. Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

One month after the murder of Shevon, Lee Adama stood in the hangar deck of the Pegasus, and watched with a smile as a Raptor taxied into its assigned position. Looking out the small side window of the Raptor was a little girl, who waved enthusiastically at Lee. Lee waved back, and waited for the hatch of the Raptor to open. Once it did, little Kacey strained to run out of the Raptor towards Lee. Kara held her close and waited until she was sure it was safe for her little girl to step out of the small ship. Once it was, Kacey bounded out onto the wing and was picked up by Lee.

"There's my girl!" said Lee, as he kissed Kacey on the cheek.

"Lee! Lee!" squealed Kacey, who giggled and laughed as Lee bounced her up and down in his arms.

"My little lady, you are looking so pretty today," said Lee.

"She has been so excited about this," said Kara, who climbed down from the wing. "She's not the only one. How's about a kiss for me?"

Lee smiled and reached out a hand to Kara. She took it and he pulled her to him. As he held Kacey in one arm to the side, Lee put his other around Kara and kissed her.

"Gods, I've missed you," said Lee.

"Ditto, handsome," she said, with a smile. "But now, you've got me for a week. Can you think of anything to do with me?"

"Plenty," said Lee. "But I'm under no illusions. I know you are going to be busy with the Basic Flight class this week."

"Don't worry, we'll make time," said Kara. "After all, you're the Commander. You could always order me to you room to dress me down for something. Or UN-dress me, as the case may be. In the meantime, you're going to have a toddler on your hands a lot this week. Sure you can handle it?"

"It will be my pleasure," said Lee. "Come on. I've got a surprise for you two."

Lee and Kara picked up her's and Kacey's bags, and walked down the corridors of the Pegasus towards Lee's quarters. They were the picture of a family, with Lee carrying Kacey with one arm, while the little girl smiled and had her arms wrapped contentedly around Lee's neck. Kara had one arm linked with Lee's, as the two caught up on their day-to-day lives since they had last seen one another two weeks ago.

When they got to Lee's quarters, he opened the door and had Kara go inside first. He then followed with Kacey a moment later. After Kara set down the bags, she smiled at Lee.

"Okay, Mr. Mysterious, what's the surprise?"

"Take a look around the room, and tell me what you see that is different," said Lee.

Kara looked around, seeing the usual accoutrements of the outer room of Lee's command quarters. There were a couple of drawings on the wall behind Lee's desk; the latest in Kacey's artwork. Then, Kara saw what was different.

"That door wasn't there before," said Kara. "Where does it go?"

"I'll show you," said Lee.

He led them through the door and into a small room. It was decorated with pictures of Teddy Bears, and had a small bed with a couple of stuffed animals.

"How the frak did you make this room?" asked Kara.

"This was a storeroom with a doorway in the corridor," said Lee. "It was used to store laundry supplies for senior officers' quarters. I had a work crew cut open a doorway through the wall from my room to the storeroom, take off the outer door to the corridor and put it in the new doorway. They then welded the metal from the opening in the wall over where the doorway used to be. I was able to acquire some items a little girl might like in here and prestoKacey now has her very own room."

"Mine!" said Kacey.

"All yours, Princess," said Lee, who put the little girl down so she could look around her new quarters.

"Lee, I can't believe you did all of this," said Kara.

"Well, when you've slept over in the past, Kacey has either slept with us, or on the couch in the outer room when you and I want some more PRIVATE time," said Lee, with a sly smirk added to the last comment. "I wanted Kacey to have her own private space. Besides, it's safer for her to sleep in here. There's less for her to get into that she shouldn't be messing with."

Kara grabbed Lee and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. "I love you, Lee," she said as she broke the kiss. "This is wonderful. You are so good to her."

"Well, I hope she likes it," said Lee. He turned to Kacey, who was now bouncing on the bed. "Do you like it, Kacey?"

"Love it!" said Kacey.

"Good," said Lee.

"What do we say?" asked Kara.

"Thank you, Lee," said Kacey, who walked over to Lee and held her hands up. Lee picked her up, and she kissed him on the cheek. "Love you, Lee," she said.

"I love you, too, sweetie," said Lee. "Now, why don't Momma and I help you unpack your toys so you can play in your room."

"YEAH!" said Kacey.

Lee put her down, and she ran into the front room to get her bag. As she did, Kara chuckled.

"You know what," said Kara. "I may be her mother, and she may love me, but Kacey has officially become a Daddy's girl."

Lee smiled at her. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," said Kara. "Especially since, in every way that counts, you are her Daddy."

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Two days later, Lee was sitting as his desk in his quarters reading over a report, while his CAG, Stinger, looked on. Kacey was playing in her room, while Kara was out working with the Basic Flight class.

"Are you sure there's no other way to handle this?" asked Lee. "Razor is a good pilot. I'll grant you, he can be a pain in the ass, but…"

"Sir, he directly contravened my orders in front of the other pilots," said Stinger. "This can't be tolerated. I've tried reaming him out privately, and written reprimands. I think the only thing that is going to teach him is brig time."

"So we lock him up," said Lee. "For how long, do you think?"

"A couple of weeks might be enough," said Stinger. "But sir, I insist on firm action on this."

Lee looked up and quietly stared at Stinger. Despite their past troubles, Stinger and Lee had been able to develop a mutually respectful relationship. But every once in a while, Lee needed to remind Stinger who was the commander of the Pegasus and who was the CAG. Lee took a lesson from his father, and just gave Stinger a quiet stare than rang louder than any words could.

Stinger backed off. "Sorry, sir," he said. "I should have said that I strongly request firm action."

Lee looked back down at the report. "We put him in the brig for two days," said Lee.

"But sir…" began Stinger.

"Then, after that, he is to be removed from flight status for a month," said Lee. "Instead, he will be assigned as temporary assistant to the supply officer. I'll tell the supply officer to take a little time off, and shove most of his paperwork over to Razor. Let's see how Mr. Smart-Ass likes going blind on supply requisitions."

"Frak," said Stinger. "He hates paperwork. Its hell to get him to do duty logs. That'll sure knock some wind out of his sails."

"Lee," said Kacey, who came out of the room.

"Yes, sweetie," said Lee, turning to look at Kacey.

"Come play with me," said Kacey.

"In a little bit," said Lee. He turned back to Stinger, who barely contained a grin. "Anything else?"

"Sir," said Stinger. "There was one more thing, but I'm not sure how to approach the subject with you." He looked back at the doorway where the little girl had been standing a few moments ago. Kacey had since retreated back into her room. "It has to do with Starbuck."

Lee let out a sigh. "She's been in your face about her instructor's training schedules," said Lee.

"Yes, sir," said Stinger.

"I knew she would be," said Lee. "I told her to try to be diplomatic."

"She did," said Stinger. "But when I wouldn't give her what she wanted, the diplomatic approach went out the window. Sir, I know you two are involved, but she needs to understand that I am the CAG of the Pegasus. She may be Chief Flight Instructor, but that doesn't give her the right to tell me how to assign my pilots. I give those she chose as Basic Flight Instructors on the Pegasus as much time as I can to instruct the Basic Flight classes, but Flight Ops must come first."

"I know she's giving you a hard time over it," said Lee. "With Kara on board Galactica, it's hard for her to manage the Basic Flight classes from a distance. She relies upon her appointed deputy instructors. I've been talking with the Admiral about the situation, and we're working on a change. Until then, just keep giving the instructors as much time away from CAP shifts and other routine flight ops as possible so they can work with the classes. I'll have another talk with Starbuck. If she still gives you shit, know that I've got your back and I support any decisions on scheduling you see fit."

"You'll tell her that?" asked Stinger.

"Yes," said Lee.

Stinger nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Lee," said Kacey. "My toy broke!"

Stinger smirked. "Sounds like you're being paged, sir."

Lee shook his head. "Dismissed, Captain. Thank you."

Stinger came to attention, saluted, and then left. Lee got up and went into the room to help Kacey.

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An hour later, Kara walked into Lee's quarters and threw her gear on the couch. Lee was sitting in a chair with Kacey, helping her put her toy back together.

"Frak!" said Kara, with frustration.

"How was your day, dear?" asked Lee, with a tone of slight sarcasm.

"Don't even start with me," said Kara.

"Hi Mommy," said Kacey, who jumped up from Lee's lap and ran over to Kara.

The later picked up Kacey and kissed. "Hey, little missy," said Kara. "How was your day?"

"Fine," said Kacey. "Lee took me to CIC. I got to watch him command the ship. He gave orders to people. He's really smart."

Kara looked at Lee with an amused smirk. "Did you teach her to say that?" she asked.

"No," said Lee. "I think she just recognizes someone who is in charge and who is an inspirational leader."

"And I recognize someone who is clearly full of it," said Kara.

"Full of what, Mommy?" asked Kacey.

Lee chuckled. "Never mind," said Kara.

"Dinner's ready," said Lee.

"Go wash up, Kacey," said Kara, as she put Kacey down and gave her a little pat off in the direction of the bathroom.

Lee walked over to Kara and kissed her. "Did I ever tell you how sexy you are in your flight suit?"

"You are perverted," said Kara. "And I like it." They kissed a few moments longer, before Kara broke away and plopped down on the couch. "The Basic Flight class is way behind where it should be. And frakking Stinger won't give my instructors more time with the classes."

"Kara, those are his senior pilots," said Lee. "He needs them out in their birds, and helping him to supervise CAP's."

"Bet he came in and complained to you, huh," said Kara.

"Yes, and I agree with him," said Lee. "Kara, he's got an air wing to run, and he can't always accommodate your training needs."

"Lee, we loose pilots, and those pilots have to be replaced," said Kara.

"I know that," said Lee. "But you just see the needs of the training. Stinger has to see to the needs of flight ops on this ship, just like you do on Galactica."

Kara let out a sigh. "I know," she said, finally, after a long silence. "I thought about that myself, you know. If training was on the Galactica, and I was in Stinger's position."

Lee sat down on the couch, and pulled Kara into his arms. He stroked her back, and kissed her on the cheek. "The problem is that most training goes on here," said Lee. "At least until each class of nuggets is ready for final Viper orientation and combat training. You're on Galactica, and you have to rely on other instructors here who have other duties. Meanwhile, you also have to worry about Galactica's air wing. It's a lot for you to manage, and trying to do it from Galactica doesn't help. Which is why Dad and I have been talking about an alternative to the problem."

"What alternative?" asked Kara, her interest peaked.

"When you came back from New Caprica, Dad put you back in charge of Galactica's air wing because you had seniority," said Lee. "But while you were there, Kat commanded the air wing for over a year, and did a damned fine job given the circumstances and how short staffed we were."

"She hasn't been very happy with me since I came back," said Kara. "Thinks I stole her job from her. But what does that have to do with my problem?"

"Kara, Dad wants to promote Kat back to CAG of the Galactica," said Lee.

"What?!" said Kara. "Look, I know I'm having difficulty, but I'm cutting it as CAG. Why…."

"Kara, Dad wants to promote you," said Lee. "He wants to make you a Major, and commander of the combined Galactica/Pegasus air wing. Kat and Stinger would report to you."

"Why? All I would do is command the combine air wing in joint operations," said Kara. "All the rest of the day to day job would be handled by the individual CAG's."

"Which would give you time for your instructor duties," said Lee. "From your new posting on the Pegasus."

Kara looked at Lee pointedly. "Pegasus?"

"Yes," said Lee. "Dad and I think all flight training, from basic flight to final orientation, should go on here. We have better facilities for it on Pegasus. Then the new nuggets could be assigned to Galactica and Pegasus air wings as needed. You would be posted here to oversee it all, while still coordinating things with the two air wings when needed."

"Who would I report to? You?"

"And Dad. We would both be your immediate superiors. That means no more reporting to Tigh most of the time. You'd like that."

"He's not so bad," said Kara. "Since we got back, I've kind of gotten along better with him."

"As far as your accommodations here," said Lee. "I could promise you clean sheets, a good rack, nice quarters for you and Kacey…and me to keep you warm at night."

"You and me hot bunking, huh," said Kara. "That must be why you made that room for Kacey. You've been planning on springing this idea on me. Mighty fine tactics on your part."

"Kara, I would love having you and Kacey here full time," said Lee. "And, well, maybe once we get used to the new arrangements, we can talk about other…steps…forward."

Kara looked at him with an unreadable expression. "You mean…marriage…step…forward," said Kara, slowly and in a very quiet tone.

"We've talked about it," said Lee.

"And I said I wasn't ready, Lee," said Kara. "I haven't been divorced from Sam all that long. I'm not ready to jump into marriage yet."

"I know," said Lee. "I'm not trying to push you. I'll wait for you as long as it takes. I just think we could still live together, and then work towards that next step forward together."

"So you want me to come to Pegasus so I can shack up with you?"

"No," said Lee. "That's just a fringe benefit. The need for you to be here, in the new position, is real."

"Lee, I'm just not ready to take even that step," said Kara. "I'm not ready to leave Galactica."

"Kara…"

"No, Lee, listen," said Kara. She put her hand on Lee's chest to soothe his frustration. "Lee, I love you. I want to be with you, and I want you with me. And I want you to be Kacey's father. But when I got back from New Caprica, being on Galactica was like my security blanket. I found purpose again after what Leoben did to me. It felt good, safe, to be back on Galactica with your father, and my friends. I missed you, but you were close by. I love visiting with you here, and spending a few days with you on the Pegasus is fine. But I need to live on Galactica for now. I can make things work with the training how it is now, and still remain on Galactica as CAG. Please, try to understand. This has nothing to do with you. I need this for now. Okay."

Lee sighed and hung his head a little. Kara rested her head against his. "I love you, Lee. Don't doubt that. And when the time is right, this will be a home we share together, and with Kacey. We're heading there. I promise."

"Mommy," said Kacey. "Lee. I'm hungry."

"Well, let's eat," he said.

He got up and walked over the table to lay out the food for dinner. Kara got up and walked behind Lee. She wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Lee," she said.

He turned around and smiled. "I'm okay, Kara. I'll take you as I can get you. For now, I'll make do with how things are."

They kissed once again. Kacey chuckled. "You two kiss a lot!" she said.

Lee and Kara looked at their daughter and smiled. "Yes, we do," said Lee. "And I hope we never stop."

End of Chapter Seven. Chapter Eight coming soon.

Sorry it took me so long to post this new chapter. Real life interefered a lot this week. Keep checking for new chapters. In the meantime, please let me know what you think of this chapter. I really appreciate all of your feedback through your reviews. Thanks again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Kara was busy packing her and Kacey's bags in preparation for their departure to the Galactica. It had been a wonderful week for both of them on the Pegasus, as they got the opportunity to spend a lot more time than they normally do with Lee. Kara had almost been tempted to take Lee up on his offer to transfer to the Pegasus permanently. His quarters on the Pegasus had become a home for both Kara and her daughter. But for now, Kara needed to be on Galactica, where she felt like she belonged. Although she felt she belonged with Lee, too, she did not feel ready to give up Galactica.

"Mommy," said Kacey, who was sitting and watching Kara pack.

"Yeah, baby," said Kara, as she continued to pack.

"I don't have a Daddy, right?"

Kara stopped what she was doing, and then looked pointedly at Kacey. The mention of Kacey's biological father, the Cylon who had held Kara prisoner for four long months, always made her tense. Kara took a moment to relax, and then answered her daughter.

"Right," said Kara. "You're Daddy is gone."

"Hera has a Daddy," said Kacey.

Kara nodded. "I know," she said.

"Can Lee be my Daddy?" asked Kacey.

Kara smiled. Kacey had voiced the feeling that Kara herself had been feeling since she and Lee had reconciled and since Sam left the picture. As far as Kara was concerned, Lee was Kacey's father. But Kara had always been sure not to press the issue with Kacey. She had let Kacey's and Lee's relationship develop in its own way. Lee considered Kacey to be his daughter, and now Kara knew that Kacey felt Lee was her father.

"Tell you what. Why don't you ask Lee yourself when he gets back?"

Kara finished packing, and then sat down to put on Kacey's shoes. As she did, Lee came in the door.

"Raptor's waiting for you," said Lee.

"Thanks," said Kara. "We're just about ready."

"Lee," said Kacey. "Can you be my Daddy?"

Lee looked at Kacey with a stunned expression. Kara had to chuckle at Lee's surprise at having been asked that question by Kacey. The man just stood there in silence, trying to find the words to respond to Kacey's very direct question. He looked at Kara, who nodded in response to Lee's silent question. "You know how I feel," said Kara.

Lee did. He walked over, picked up Kacey, and hugged her tight. "I would love to be your Daddy," said Lee. "More than anything in the world."

"Good," said Kacey. "Love you, Daddy."

Lee's heart soared after hearing the little girl's words. Kara's face, which had held an amused expression just a few moments ago, took on a look of pure joy. Her eyes began to tear at seeing the man she loved be accepted by her daughter as a Dad. Lee held out his hand and pulled Kara to him. Lee held by Kara and Kacey in his arms.

"I love you too," said Lee. "My daughter. I love and your Mommy so much."

"Why have to go?" asked Kacey. "I want to stay!"

"I know, baby," said Kara. "But right now, we have to go home to Galactica. Mommy has work to do there. Daddy has to work here. You know that your Grandpa is on Galactica, and so are Helo and Sharon and Hera and Galen and Cally. They all love you."

"Want Daddy!" said Kacey, as she began to sob.

"Shh," said Lee, rubbing Kacey's back. "I know, sweetheart. I miss you, too, when I'm not around you. But I will visit you and you will visit me as much as we can, okay. I'm not far away. And if you ever need me, I'll be there, okay."

Lee and Kara finally quieted Kacey's sobs. They picked up the bags, and walked to the Raptor, with Kacey held firmly in Lee's arms. As they placed the bags on the Raptor, Lee buckled Kacey into her seat. Kacey's face held a sad expression that was breaking both Lee's and Kara's hearts.

"Come on, now," said Lee. "Give me a smile."

Kacey looked up, but didn't smile. "Okay then," said Lee. "You are forcing me to tickle you to get a smile."

Lee reached down and started tickling Kacey. The little girl began to laugh, and finally did smile. "That's my good girl," said Lee. "Now, be good for Mommy, okay. I'll come and see you, soon."

"Bye, Daddy," said Kacey.

Lee smiled and kissed his daughter on the cheek. Kara then placed her hand on Lee's arm, and pulled him towards the Raptor's hatch. They stepped onto Pegasus' hangar deck, and Kara spoke softly to him.

"Oh, Lee, am I doing right?" she said. "She wants to stay here so bad. Am I being selfish for wanting to be on Galactica for now?"

"Kara, you've been through a lot," said Lee. "You can't move here until you are ready."

"Kacey's ready," said Kara. "Who am I to hold her back?"

"Her mother," said Lee. "But you are also a human being. You need time. Kacey will be back on Galactica, and she'll have all those people you mentioned who love her. She'll be okay for now."

"I hope so," said Kara.

"I can't believe I just talked you into staying on Galactica," said Lee.

"If you were selfish, you would have tried to use Kacey to keep me here," said Kara. "You're not like that. That's Leoben and all he did to Kacey and me. That's not you. Which is why I love you so frakking much."

"I love you, too," said Lee.

He kissed her goodbye, and then Kara joined Kacey on the Raptor. Lee stood on the flight deck until the Raptor was off, and then headed back to his quarters. He sat down at his desk, and picked up a picture of Kara and Kacey taken on board the Galactica by one of the other pilots. Lee looked at his family, and listened to the empty silence that permeated his quarters now that they weren't there. "I miss you both already," he thought.

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Two days later, Kara was heading towards Sharon's and Helo's quarters to pick up Kacey. She had just come off CAP, and had left her daughter with Sharon and Hera while she was on patrol. Kara knocked on the hatch, and heard Sharon say "come in" from the other side.

Kara opened up the hatch and found Kacey and Hera playing with their dolls on the floor. Sharon was sitting at a nearby table working on her flight logs.

"Hey," said Sharon. "Here for your little trooper?"

"Yep," said Kara.

"Hi, Mommy!" said Kacey, who ran over for Kara to pick her up.

"Having fun?" asked Kacey.

"Yeah," said Kacey.

"Good," said Kara.

"You still going to take Hera later tonight?" asked Sharon, who got up and walked over to Kara and Kacey.

"Don't worry, you and Helo will get your alone time," said Kara.

"Mommy," said Kacey. "Can we go and call Daddy? I miss him."

"You bet," said Kara. She looked over at Sharon, who had a rather strange expression on her face. "Oh, I told Kacey we would try and call Lee today. I just hope he isn't too busy to take the call."

"Yeah, Kacey's been talking about it," said Sharon, with a note of disdain in her voice.

Kara picked up on Sharon's mood. "What?" asked Kara. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing," said Sharon. "It's nothing."

Kara put Kacey down and looked silently at Sharon, and saw that the latter was upset about something. They had overcome a lot to become friends, despite Sharon's Cylon heritage and Kara's history with Sharon's people. Kara decided that if there was something wrong, she had better handle it.

"Kacey, why don't you and Hera play for a few more minutes," said Kara. "Sharon and I need to talk outside."

Kara opened the hatch, and motioned for Sharon to step out into the corridor. Sharon didn't move at first, but then quietly stepped outside with Kara.

"Okay, what's wrong?" asked Kara. "You sounded upset just now."

"I shouldn't be upset really, it's just," said Sharon. "Kacey told me earlier that she was calling Lee 'Daddy.' It kind of, well, stung me."

"Why?" asked Kara. "Lee has been more of a father to her than I could have ever hoped for. We love each other, and we both love Kacey. Kacey adores Lee."

"Kara, Kacey is half-Cylon, and, well…I just couldn't help but think about the fact that my child was taken from me because I'm Cylon," said Sharon. "And she was raised for over a year by a human woman, and Hera called her 'Mommy.'"

Kara looked at Sharon with disbelief. "You can't SERIOUSLY compare that to Kacey's heritage," said Kara. "You and Helo conceived Hera in love with one another! Leoben didn't! He used his DNA to inseminate one of my STOLEN eggs, and then implanted it into a captive woman! A SLAVE! Leoben then captured me and held me captive for four FRAKKING MONTHS, and tried to use Kacey to make me LOVE HIM!!! He doesn't DESERVE the right to call himself Kacey's father, and I will be damned if I will be ashamed of giving Kacey a father who loves her and loves me!!"

Kara was about to open the hatch to get Kacey, but Sharon stopped her. "Kara, I'm sorry," said Sharon. "I didn't mean to imply that Leoben has any right to claim Kacey. He doesn't! You're right about that! What he did to you was DISPICABLE! I guess it stung me more because of my experience with Hera being taken from me! I was projecting that onto Kacey's situation, and I shouldn't have."

Kara took a deep breath. "Look, Sharon, they shouldn't have taken Hera from you. You are her mother. I know how I would feel if Kacey was taken from me. I'm sorry if I overreacted…"

"It's okay," said Sharon. "And you're right. Lee is a good father for Kacey. I'm glad you both have Lee, especially after what happened to you."

"Look, just remember that Kacey and Hera now both have loving parents," said Kara.

Sharon smiled. "You're right. And you'd better get Kacey and go call her Daddy."

Kara smiled, and then opened the hatch to retrieve her daughter and go to call Lee.

End of Chapter Eight. Chapter Nine coming soon.

For those of you who have been keeping up with this story, thank you for your continued interest. I'm sorry it takes so long for me to update the story, but real life has been very busy for me of late. Thank you to those who have provided feedback through your reviews, and please do keep providing me with your comments.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

Kara was busy packing a bag for her and Kacey in their quarters on board the Galactica. It had been three weeks since they had any time to see Lee more than a few minutes, when the latter came aboard Galactica to meet with the Admiral. But Kara had been able to secure a 24 hour pass, and planned on spending it aboard the Pegasus with Lee, who had booked himself off duty for the same time period unless an emergency came up.

"Ready to see Daddy?" asked Kara.

"Yeah!" squealed Kacey, who had missed Lee just as much, if not more, than Kara had.

As Kara zipped up their overnight bag, they heard a knock at the hatch. "Frak, I hope that doesn't mean a delay," she said to herself quietly, as she headed for the hatch.

When she opened it, Kara was met by one of the deckhands, Mitch Rogan. Kara didn't know him all that well, but had seen him on the deck working on Vipers and Raptors and he was known for being a decent mechanic.

"Captain Thrace, ma'am," said Rogan. "A Raptor pilot from the Pegasus asked me to give this to you. It's a note from Commander Adama."

Kara took the note, clearly intrigued by what Lee had to say. She opened it, and found a type written message.

"Dear Kara," it read. "Have a little surprise for you. Bring Kacey to the passenger ship Hyperion. I'll meet you there. Make it quick. You are going to love this. Love, Lee."

"That's weird," said Kara. "Rogan, do you know anything about this?"

Rogan shrugged his shoulders. "No, Ma'am. They just asked me to bring it to you. Like I've got nothing better to do than play messenger."

"Thanks," said Kara. "You can return to your duties."

Rogan nodded and then left, while Kara read the note again. "Lee's being rather mysterious," she thought. "Maybe he's got a little romantic surprise in store. He can be a sneak sometimes."

"When we going to see Daddy?" asked Kacey, impatiently.

"We're going, baby," said Kara, who picked up Kacey and their bag and headed for the flight deck.

When she got there, Sharon was waiting for her with a raptor. "Ready to head for Pegasus?" asked Sharon.

"Actually, I got a note from Lee," replied Kara. "He wants us to meet him on the Hyperion."

"Why?" asked Sharon. Then she smiled. "Maybe he's planning something kinky."

Kara chuckled. "Better not be too kinky, Kacey will be there."

"Well, let's go," said Sharon. "Racetrack and I have supply runs to do after we drop you. I'll notify CIC of our change in flight plan."

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Lee stood impatiently on the hangar deck of the Pegasus, waiting for Kara's and Kacey's raptor to arrive. The raptor should have been there by now, or at least in the process of being brought into the hangar. He waited and waited, and still no word. Finally, Lee got impatient and went to a nearby phone. He called CIC.

"This is the Commander," he said. "Can you give me an ETA on Raptor 54 coming from Galactica?"

"We currently have no incoming raptor inbound sir," replied the CIC on duty officer, Lt. Michaels. "Stand by, sir. We'll check with Galactica CIC."

Lee waited for several more moments, wondering what the hell could be taking Kara. If she had been delayed, she would have made sure Lee was informed. This wasn't like her.

"Sir," said Michaels. "Galactica CIC reports that Raptor 54 changed its flight plan at the last minute. It headed for the passenger ship Hyperion."

"WHAT?!" asked Lee. "Was Captain Thrace and her daughter aboard?"

"As far as they know, sir," said Michaels.

Lee had a sudden burst of panic hit his system. Something was very wrong, and he intended to find out what it was. FAST!

He hung up the phone, and headed to his deck chief. "Get me a Raptor. NOW!"

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Kara and Kacey stepped off of Sharon's raptor onto the hangar deck of the Hyperion. There were a few people around, mainly boarding or disembarking off of passenger shuttles. Since the destruction of Cloud Nine, the Hyperion and several other passenger liners had seen more shipping traffic as they replaced Cloud Nine as major hubs for intra-fleet transportation.

"Where's Daddy?" asked Kacey.

"I don't know," said Kara. "He must have been delayed. And he told me to 'make it quick.'"

"Kara, we'd wait, but we're way behind schedule," said Sharon. "This little trip took us more out of our way than going to the Pegasus would have."

"Okay," said Kara. "Thanks, Sharon."

Kara and Kacey walked away from the raptor as it taxied back into the launch bay. She was approached by a man dressed in a ship's uniform.

"Captain Thrace?" asked the crewman.

"Yes," said Kara.

"I was told to look out for you," said the crewman. "Commander Adama is waiting for you in a guest suite. Please follow me."

Kara followed the crewman into the corridors of the ship. She had never been aboard the Hyperion before, so she wasn't familiar with its layout. However, it seemed they were heading away from where most of the people were.

"Where are we heading?" asked Kara, starting to get a funny feeling.

"Guest suites," said the crewman. "The ship's top suites are away from the hub-bub of the rest of the ship for more privacy."

As they turned a corner, they found two men wearing black ski-masks pointing guns at Kara and Kacey.

"Hold it right there," said one of the men.

Kara backed away, but was grabbed from behind. She struggled against the strong arms that held her, as Kacey cried out in terror. Normally, Kara would have been knocking the guy to the ground, but holding Kacey limited her fighting options. Before Kara could resist further, a rag was held up to her nose and mouth. Try as she might, Kara could not resist the chloroform's effects as she fell into unconsciousness.

End of Chapter Nine.

Bet you didn't see that coming, huh? Well, for those who are still keeping up with this story despite my less than frequent updates, I thank you. If you get a chance, please let me know what you think of this new direction the story is going in with a review. I've got some big stuff planned, so stay tuned for further updates.


	10. Chapter 10

Just to let my readers know: I raised the rating a little bit on this story with the addition of this chapter because it is slightly violent. No blood and guts or anything, but it does involve some physical abuse. Just be aware of that.

Chapter Ten:

"I had my Marines tear the Hyperion apart! NOTHING!" said Lee, as he paced his father's quarters on the Galactica like a caged animal. It had been five hours since Kara and Kacey had been last seen by Sharon on the Hyperion. Lee had arrived there within 30 minutes after Sharon had left, but there was no sign of Kara and her daughter. He called over 50 Marines from the Pegasus, almost the entire battlestar's security force, to search every inch of the Hyperion, but met with no success. Now, Lee was meeting with his father, Sharon, Colonel Tigh, and Helo, about what to do.

"Whoever took them must have gotten them off the ship before the Commander arrived," commented Helo.

"Sharon, did you see anyone nearby who looked suspicious? Anyone who was watching Kara and Kacey?" asked Adama.

"No, sir," said Sharon. "Kara said that Lee was supposed to be meeting her and Kacey there, but must have been delayed. I'm sorry, I should never have left them."

"It wasn't your fault," said Adama.

"I never asked her to meet me there," said Lee. "She and Kacey were supposed to come to Pegasus!"

"Kara said she had received a message from you," said Sharon. "And said it was kind of cryptic. The message said you had a surprise for her."

"Yeah, some FRAKKING surprise!" yelled Lee, at no one in particular.

"Son, calm down," said Adama.

"Dad, how can you ask me to CALM DOWN?!!" yelled Lee. "Someone has taken Kara and Kacey, and for gods only knows what purpose!! It's the only explanation for her being missing!!"

"Could it be the Cylons?" asked Helo. "Maybe a plant in the fleet?"

"Could very well be a possibility," said Tigh. "That kid is half-Cylon. They may want it back."

"HER!" yelled Lee, now getting up into Tigh's face. "Kacey is not an IT!! She is a CHILD!! A little girl!! Kara's daughter. MY DAUGHTER!!! GOT IT!?"

"Lee!!" said Adama, in a stern tone. "This isn't helping."

Tigh just looked away from Lee, in a silent sort of apology for his slip of the tongue. Lee finally stepped away and went back to pacing the room.

"What about that guy Labreth?" asked Sharon. "Maybe he took her."

"Either way, I'm going to find them!" said Lee, with determined fury. "And if they have been harmed, I swear…!"

"How are you going to find them?" asked Tigh. "It's a big fleet out there."

"Dad, if you give me Galactica's entire Marine compliment, I can combine them with my Marine force and search every ship!" said Lee. "I'll tear the frakking fleet apart if I have to, but I'll…"

"Get them killed, son," interrupted Adama. "You can't go bucking around the fleet like a bull in a China shop. We need to go about this carefully. Investigate further. Someone has to know something."

"Dad…!" began Lee.

"Patience, son," said Adama. "We'll get her back."

"How did Starbuck get this supposed message from Lee?" asked Tigh.

"Kara said it was sent over from the Pegasus," said Sharon. "It was a type-written message."

"That means someone had to have delivered it from the Pegasus," said Helo.

"Not likely," said Lee. "There were no ships traveling from Pegasus to Galactica for five hours before Kara and Kacey left."

"Then someone here must have given here that fake message," said Helo.

"On Galactica," said Sharon. "That's a scary thought."

"Saul, track down Kara's movements before leaving the ship, and find out the names of everyone she came into contact with in that time," said Adama. "We find the person who delivered that message, it could provide some answers."

"What about in the meantime?!" asked Lee.

"In the meantime," said Adama. "The President is checking with every ship in the fleet, asking the crews to keep an eye out. Antoninus Labreth will also be questioned on this matter. All we can do now is wait."

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Kara awakened with a pounding headache, her eyes taking a moment to focus on her surroundings. It took a few seconds for her to remember the ambush, and when she did, Kara began to frantically search her surroundings for Kacey. She found herself in what looked like a small cell of some kind. She was laying on a matt that was spread out on top of straw. There was no sign of Kacey, but Kara did catch sight of movement in a shadowy corner outside of the cell.

"You're awake at last," said a man's voice, as the form moved out of the shadows into the light. He was a tall, muscular looking man with dark skin, a shaved head, and wearing para-military looking fatigues. His eyes were cold as they looked at Kara in her cell. "After we chloroformed you, we injected you with a drug to keep you asleep. We carried you and put you in your cell. Before the war, this cargo hold was used to transport wild animals for zoos. That explains the straw."

"Where's Kacey?" asked Kara, with a low voice of quiet fury. "What have you done with her?"

"The half-breed?" asked the man. "She's unharmed. For now. Would you like to see her?"

"Yes," said Kara.

He walked over to a nearby door and opened it. Another man came out, leading Kacey out by her arm.

"Kacey!" said Kara, trying to reach out for her through the bars of the cell.

"Mommy!" said Kacey, her eyes filled with fear, in between sobs. "They hurt!"

"What did you do to her?!" said Kara. "You said she was unharmed, you frakking BASTARD!!"

"We took a blood sample," said the first man. He walked over to Kacey, and ran a hand through her hair. Then, he backhanded Kacey across the face and knocked her to the ground. She cried out from the pain of the blow, making Kara react quickly.

"STOP IT!!" she screamed. Kara began grabbing through the bars, and shaking them to try to break them. She looked like a wild animal, trying desperately to protect her cub. "YOU BASTARD!! I WILL FRAKKING KILL YOU!!!"

He picked Kacey up by her arm, and held onto her. Kacey was crying from pain and fear, and Kara never felt more helpless in all of her life.

"You know, it's amazing," said the man. "This little thing looks so innocent, so fragile. It belies the evil in her. The evil that brought her into this world."

"She isn't evil!" said Kara. "What the Cylons did isn't her fault! Don't hurt her!!!"

The man now grabbed one of Kacey's hands. The little girl looked up with him in terror. He took one of her finger in between his fingers. "How much pressure do you think it would take to snap one of this half-breed's fingers?"

"DON'T!!" yelled Kara, in a half-terrified, half-enraged voice, as she grabbed the bars and shook them with determined fury.

"Why shouldn't I?" asked the man. "This isn't a real child. It's a frakking HALF-BREED!!!"

"Please, don't hurt her!" said Kara.

The man looked at Kara, then at Kacey. He let go of Kacey, and waved for the other man to take Kacey back into the other room.

"Don't worry, Kacey!" said Kara. "Everything will be okay!"

"Mommy!" yelled Kacey.

The door slammed behind Kacey, just as she finished yelling to her mother. The muscular man turned back to Kara with a smile. "Fine, I won't hurt her, for now," he said. "But you have to agree to follow my instructions to the letter. If not, I break her fingers, then her wrists, and keep working my way to her NECK! Get the picture?"

"What is it that you want?" asked Kara.

"I want to know some things, starting why that Cylon was so interested in you that he held you in that apartment cell for four months. How often did you whore yourself to him?"

Kara just stared at him with a blank expression. "I won't justify that with a response," she finally said. "But if you didn't have my daughter, and if I wasn't locked in this cell, I'd be shoving my fist into your balls for suggesting the idea of me having sex with a toaster."

The man didn't respond, instead he just stared at Kara. "Why you?" he asked. "Why did they choose to use your ovaries in their experiment? Why did that Cylon want you?"

"I don't know," said Kara. "Is that why you kidnapped me and my daughter? To find out answers that I don't have."

"The reason for your capture will become clear soon enough," said the man with a cold sense of purpose. "I have something in my possession that you care about, and don't want to see hurt, so you are going to satisfy my curiosity. Aren't you?"

"Stop calling her a THING," said Kara. "She is a CHILD!!"

"Not to me," said the man. "She is a THING! A thing that I don't mind causing harm to! I wouldn't worry about causing it pain anymore than if I were ripping a head off of a mechanical doll."

"She is a person!!" said Kara. "A child! MY CHILD!!"

"Fine," he replied. "She's your CHILD! At least you believe she is. Would you like me to bring her in here and start breaking her?"

Kara didn't respond at first. The man walked towards the door to the room where Kacey was taken.

"WAIT!" yelled Kara.

He stopped, but did not turn around. He just waited.

"Fine, I'll cooperate," said Kara. "Just don't hurt her!!"

He turned around and smirked. "Please," he said.

"What?" she replied.

"Say 'please'!" he said.

Kara was becoming very angry. She hated being this vulnerable, and she never begged for anything. But this guy had her child, and therefore had power over her. It was killing her inside to think of someone having that kind of control. Finally, she quietly spoke.

"Please," she said. "Don't hurt her."

The man smiled. He then walked over to another door and opened it. Antoninus Labreth stepped through the door.

"Did you hear, sir?" asked the man.

"Yes, Loka, I heard," said Labreth. "Captain Thrace, your cooperation is most appreciated. If you do provide the answers that we seek, then we may be inclined to allow the half-breed child to survive. Your cooperation from here on out keeps your so-called daughter from harm. Now that you understand that, we can begin."

End of Chapter Ten. Chapter Eleven coming soon.

What does Labreth and his co-hort want with Kara and Kacey? How will Lee and the crew find Kara and Kacey? Stay tuned to find out. By the way-yes, I love cliffhangers. Ha, ha, ha!! In the meantime, I really appreciate all of the great feedback I have been getting. Your reviews of this story are most appreciated, and I look forward to reading the comments any of you may have about this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello, faithful readers. I am sorry once again that real life has kept me from updating this more frequently. For those of you still reading and keeping up with the story, thank you. I hope you will hope the continuing story is worth the wait.

Chapter Eleven:

"Sir, we are still sifting through the witness reports," said Sergeant Hadrian, Galactica's Security Chief. She was walking down the hallway with Lee, the latter grilling the Sergeant for information on her progress.

"And?" asked Lee, impatiently.

"There were at least seven members of the crew sighted near Captain Thrace's quarters in the time just before she left," said Hadrian. "No one remembers seeing one of them deliver a message to the Captain."

"There has to be someone!" said Lee. "Who are the seven crewmembers?"

"I have a list," said Hadrian, who pulled a piece of paper out of her jacket.

Lee grabbed it from her grasp and began reading it.

"Commander, please, this is my investigation," said Hadrian. "I can handle this."

"The Admiral has given me clearance to oversee your investigation," said Lee. "So, I am OVERSEEING!! Understood?"

Lee didn't hear a reply, and didn't care. He scanned over the list. Most of the people on the list were pilots, which was not at all unusual considering that area was filled with officer's quarters. There were two marines, probably on their way to a duty shift. There were two other crewmen on the list, including a deckhand and a CIC petty officer.

"What about these two?" asked Lee. "The two enlisted crewmen. What were they doing there?"

"I was about to go and ask them, sir," said Hadrian. "When I got intercepted, if you catch my meaning, sir."

Lee handed the list back to her. "Question them all, but start with those two," said Lee.

"Very well, sir," said Hadrian, in a very irritated tone. "I'll let you know what I find out."

Hadrian headed off in the direction she was heading in before Lee caught up with her. Lee stood there, filled with frustration. He headed towards Kara's quarters to see if he could find anything, even knowing that they had been searched by Hadrian's security officers.

Before he got there, Chief Tyrol walked up to him. "Hey, Commander," he said. "Any word, sir?"

"No, Chief," said Lee, clearly frustrated. "Not a damned thing! The President's investigation has uncovered nothing. Antoninus Labreth has disappeared. Hadrian is still questioning people who were near Kara's quarters before she left, and who could have delivered that fake message. Nobody has found out anything!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Tyrol. "You've got to be going through hell. Believe me, I know. When Cally was taken on New Caprica, I'd never felt so helpless in all my life. Sir, when we do find out where she is, I understand you're going to take in a small team to get her back. I'd like to be on that team."

Lee smiled. "Thanks, Chief. I'd appreciate you riding shotgun when we go."

"Didn't anyone see someone bring a message to Starbuck's quarters?" asked Tyrol.

"No," said Lee. "There were several people seen in that section. The only two on the list that seemed unusual were a petty officer from CIC and one of your deckhands."

"Which deckhand?" asked Tyrol.

"Rogan," said Lee. "I don't really know him."

"Rogan," said Tyrol, with confusion. "Why would Mitch Rogan be in that area at that time? Wait, something's not right here. Rogan did leave the flight deck during his duty shift, but he said he had to hit the head. He was gone a while, but claimed he was having stomach trouble. He's a good hand, so I really didn't question it."

"He wouldn't go over to officer's quarters to use the head," said Lee. "Where is he now?"

"Off duty, sir," said Tyrol. "Probably in his rack."

"Come with me," said Lee.

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"So, shall we begin our little talk, Kara?" asked Labreth, who sat down in a chair outside of the bars of Kara's cell. The latter stared at him with a stony expression. Loka stood nearby.

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Kara.

"You're time with the Cylon on New Caprica," said Labreth. "I believe you spent four months with him. What was his name again?"

"Leoben," said Kara. "What do you want to know?"

"The Cylons chose you to breed a hybrid child with," said Labreth. "They seem to see something in you. You're important to them. I want to know why."

"You know about the Farms back in the colonies," said Kara. "They've been using thousands of women in breeding experiments. I was just one of their victims."

"Ah, but how many did they lock up in comfortable apartments for months?" asked Labreth. "How many did they bring a hybrid child to, and teach them to love it?"

"Who knows?" asked Kara, who now sat down in the chair in her own cell. "Maybe they did it back in the colonies to other women. What's the point of all of this?"

"The Cylons have monstrous plans for our race," said Labreth. "The annihilation of the colonies was just part of it. As was the occupation of New Caprica. They have other plans, and you somehow are very important to those plans. So, what I want to know is what you and that Cylon did for those four months."

"What did we do?" asked Kara, incredulously. Then, in a very sarcastic tone, she responded. "Oh, let's see. He lectured me about his god, fixed me some decent meals, kept me locked up against my will, and I killed him a few times only to see him come back in another body each time. Yep. Quite a little vacation package in hell. Does that answer your stupid question?"

"What was it all for?" asked Labreth. "The confinement, the lectures, and the decent meals? What did he want from you?"

"He was obsessed with me," said Kara. "He wanted me to love him."

"Ah, he wanted you to love him," said Labreth. "How interesting. And did you?"

"What? Love him?" asked Kara. Then, once again sarcastically, she responded. "Oh, yeah. Obsessed, crazy toasters are totally my type." She waited a few moments, and then added in an angry tone. "Of course, I didn't LOVE him!"

"Did you make love to him?" asked Labreth.

"You have got to be kidding!" said Kara.

"Surely, he tried to seduce you," said Labreth. "After all, in order…"

"Tried, yes," said Kara. "He pressured me. But he DID NOT succeed!"

"Ah, you did not crack," said Labreth. "You remained strong. You didn't give him what he wanted."

"No," said Kara. "I didn't crack. Is that all you wanted to know? You wanted to know lured details about whether or not I spread my legs for a toaster?"

"It seems I have my answer," said Labreth. "All of his pressure didn't work, did it? You know, from what I understand, you were pretty psychologically damaged after you were rescued from Leoben. He must have applied certain measures to have you comply with his wishes for you to be so damaged."

"Yeah, he did," said Kara. "He frakked me up but good."

"But you did not crack, did you?" asked Labreth.

"Look, we've been over this!" said Kara, getting up from the chair. "I didn't give him anything he wanted!"

"He wanted you to love the child," said Labreth. "And you do. So, you've complied with something he wanted. Did you start loving her before you were rescued?"

Kara stood silent for a moment before replying. "Yes," she said. "She's my child. I felt it. I love my child, and I don't apologize for that."

"Hmm," said Labreth. "You say you didn't crack. He didn't break you. But he definitely messed with your mind. And he convinced you that Kacey was your child, even before you had a blood test on Galactica to confirm it. Yet, you say he didn't break you."

Labreth got up from his chair. He walked over to a nearby table and poured two glasses of water. He walked over with the glasses and offered one to Kara. She silently took it, and drank the water, as Labreth drank his own glass of water.

"Your husband," said Labreth. "Sam Anders."

"Ex-husband," said Kara. "What about him?"

"Before the Cylons arrived, I believe he had pneumonia," said Labreth. "The Doctors were out of anti-biotics. He was, in essence, dying. Wasn't he?"

"You've been doing your homework," said Kara. "He's a strong man. He might have pulled through."

"Lucky for him the Cylons came along," said Labreth. "And provided the anti-biotics he needed."

"Yeah, so something good came out of what happened," said Kara. "So what?"

"It seems strange that they would give him medicine after taking his wife from him," said Labreth. "Wouldn't he be in the way of their plans? A loose cannon looking for his long lost wife? Unless…he was their ace-in-the-hole."

"What?" asked Kara.

"Did they use his illness as leverage, to get you to comply with what they wanted?" asked Labreth. "They cured him, and in exchanged, you lived for four months in a little love nest with that Cylon."

"You are SICK!" said Kara. "And DEAF!! I told you…"

"That would explain your psychological damage," said Labreth. "After all, having to satisfy the sexual needs of a Cylon for all of that time…"

"I DIDN'T GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTED!!!" yelled Kara. "Get that through your head!! I didn't even know Sam had survived until he crashed into that cell and saved me!!"

Kara paced her cell in an angry stupor. Labreth sat back down in his chair and simply watched her. Finally, he broke the silence.

"I believe you," he said. "They didn't use Anders as leverage. But there are many different kinds of leverage, Kara. Many different ways to break someone's will. You claim your will did not break. But the Cylons surely tried a variety of methods to break your will. None of them worked."

"Why do you want to know?" asked Kara. "What possible way does it serve you to know?"

"Because, I want to know what plans the Cylons have for our race!" said Labreth, in a slightly more agitated tone. "You lived with a Cylon in very intimate circumstances for four months! They have a special interest in you! I want to know more! I want to know if they succeeded in breaking your will! To know your enemy is to know how to beat them! So, you say you did not break. Yet Leoben succeeded in convincing you that Kacey was your child! He obviously penetrated your defenses at least in some way. There is a lack of consistency in your story. Which tells me you are lying to me. You are afraid to admit that you gave in, that you gave the Cylon what he wanted. You want to keep up the façade that you are unbreakable. It seems that I must break that façade."

Labreth turned to Loka, who nodded to the silent command and walked over to a nearby box. As he did, Labreth turned to Kara in her cell. "I must demand your cooperation in what is about to happen. Remember, you're so-called child's life depends upon it."

"I already told you," said Kara. "I would cooperate as long as you don't hurt Kacey. And I have! I am telling you the truth!"

"I would like to believe you," said Labreth, as he watched Loka approach the cell, holding something in his hand. "But I must know if you are indeed telling the whole truth, since there is inconsistency in what you have told me. To know if he broke you or not, I must try to break through your façade of strength as he did. But, I don't have the time he did, nor do I have the patience. That means I must turn to more…direct methods."

Labreth nodded at Loka, who turned towards Kara. "Grasp the bars of your cell and stand perfectly still."

Kara looked at him incredulously. She then looked more closely at Loka, and then looked down at his right hand. She saw what was in it, and realized what they were talking about.

"I've told you the truth," she said, slightly fearful. "Don't do this."

"He can either use that on you," said Labreth, "or the hybrid child. You're choice."

Kara complied, and grasped the bars as Loka opened the cell. He walked behind Kara, while Labreth sat down in his chair and just watched.

"This little instrument was used to keep animals in line when they used to transport them on this vessel," said Loka.

Kara braced herself, but it didn't prepare her for the pain she felt when Loka jabbed the electric cattle prod into her back the first time.

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Lee and Chief Tyrol stepped into one of the crewmen's bunkrooms. When one of the men saw Lee enter, he reacted.

"Attention on deck!" he yelled.

Every one of the crewmen came to attention. "As you were," said Lee, as the Chief approached Rogan.

"Mitch," said Chief Tyrol. "We need to talk to you."

"Sure, Chief," said Rogan, rather nervously. "What's up?"

"Give us the room!" said Lee to the other crewmen in the room, who filed out after a few seconds of consternation at being ordered out of their own quarters. After they had all left, Chief Tyrol spoke again to Rogan.

"Mitch, we need to ask you about something," said Tyrol. "Yesterday, you made a run for the head during your duty rotation. You were gone a while, but told me you were having stomach problems."

"Yes, Chief," said Rogan. "It was that damned smoked cabbage they served yesterday at lunch."

"If you were in the head," said Lee, interjecting himself into the conversation. "Then how come someone saw you in officer's country yesterday at that time?"

Rogan looked over at Lee rather nervously. "They must have been mistaken," he said. "Honest, sir. I wasn't there."

"Mitch, this is important," said the Chief. "Are you sure you didn't pass through that area?"

"Why would I?" asked Rogan.

"Exactly OUR question!" said Lee, sternly. "You were seen there, Rogan! Explain yourself?"

"I was in the head, sir!" said Rogan.

"Who was in there when you were?" asked Lee.

"No one," said Rogan. "I was alone."

"How convenient!" said Lee. "You were alone in the head, all the other stalls empty, while someone else THINKS they saw you near Captain Thrace's quarters at that same time! Which place were you REALLY? Did you go and see Captain Thrace yesterday?!"

"Sir, I didn't," said Rogan. "Honest. I never delivered any message to Captain Thrace!"

Lee looked at the Chief, who looked back at him with a knowing expression. "Mitch," said Tyrol. "We didn't say anything about a message. All the Commander asked you was if you saw Captain Thrace."

"Well, I…I heard some of the other crewmembers talking about Captain Thrace disappearing," said Rogan. "Something about a fake message. I put two-and-two together."

"Where did you hear this?" asked Lee, getting closer to Rogan.

"In the mess hall," said Rogan.

"When?!" asked Lee.

"An hour ago," said Rogan.

"Who was it?" asked Lee. "Who could verify you were there?"

"Well, sir, I…"

"I see, no one. AGAIN!" yelled Lee. "You are LYING! Now, you had better start giving me some answers! The truthful ones! Right now!"

"I am telling the truth, sir," said Rogan. "And I know my rights. I want representation if I'm going to be questioned further!"

Lee looked over at Tyrol, and then back at Rogan. "Chief," said Lee. "Step outside and close the hatch. Let no one in until I step out."

"Sir, maybe I can talk to him," said Tyrol. "You may not have to…"

"Chief, you have your orders," said Lee, in a quiet, but firm tone.

Chief Tyrol looked at Rogan with a mixture of anger and sympathy, and then walked towards the hatch. After he stepped outside and closed the door, the Chief saw Sergeant Hadrian approach the hatch. He stopped her.

"Chief, what are you doing?" asked Hadrian. "I need to…"

"No need, Sergeant," said the Chief, in a quiet, unsure tone. "Commander Adama is in there with him. He gave orders not to be disturbed."

After the hatch closed, Lee walked over to Rogan, who backed up against a nearby wall. Lee took a deep breath, and then spoke in a tone of quiet rage. "Now, Rogan, we're going to talk privately about what you know! And you will tell me everything! If you don't, you will feel more pain than you have ever felt in your whole life! I'm going to hurt you so bad that the memory of the pain will haunt your soul!"

End of Chapter Eleven. Chapter Twelve coming soon.

I'll try my best to update the story before Thanksgiving, but if not, look for another update by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. As always, if you feel so inclined, please do submit a review for the latest chapter and let me know what you think. Any feedback you can give me is most appreciated. Thanks again for reading.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, as promised, another update before Thanksgiving. By the way, in case you did not notice, I updated over the weekend with Chapter Eleven of this story. If you did not read Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve will not make much sense to you, so be sure you have read the last chapter before proceeding. The only reason I am posting that notice is because a lot of fanfic got posted to the site that day, and mine got kind of pushed down the list very quickly, so the update may have been missed.

Anyhow, here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter Twelve:

Twenty minutes later, Mitch Rogan's crumpled form was sprawled out on the deck of the crew quarters. He was beaten to a pulp, bloodied and broken, and whimpering on the deck. Lee stood over him, breathing heavily, as he surveyed his handiwork with cold determination. Rogan had put up a fight, but he was no match for the muscle, skill, and sheer rage of Lee Adama, as he pounded away at one of the men responsible for Kara's and Kacey's kidnapping.

"Well, are you ready to speak the truth?!" said Lee, with a tone of quiet fury.

Rogan didn't respond. Instead, he just lay panting on the floor. Lee took his foot and planted it on Rogan's neck, slowly applying presssure to choke him. "Talk," said Lee, as he began choking Rogan to death. The man started gagging, but Lee showed no sympathy. "TALK!!" screamed Lee.

Rogan nodded, and Lee removed his foot from Rogan's neck. The latter started coughing profusely, and tried to pull himself up. Lee shoved him back to the floor with his foot.

"Stay down!" said Lee. "You have five seconds to start talking."

"Alright," said Rogan. "I'll tell you." He coughed several more times before continuing. "Labreth has her, and that damned hybrid of hers."

"Where?" asked Lee.

"On the cargo hauler Calypso," said Rogan. "Both of them are there."

"Why did you do this?" asked Lee. "Why did you help him kidnap one of your fellow crewmembers?"

"He'll release Captain Thrace when he's done," said Rogan. "If she deserves to be released."

"Deserves?" asked Lee.

"He wants to find out just how CLOSE she got to that toaster on the planet," said Rogan. "No one challenged her story here. He is doing so. If he finds out she gave in to that Cylon's wishes, she may have to be put to death."

Lee felt like pounding into him again for threatening Kara's life, but he checked his fury to get more answers. "Why?"

"If she ever fell into Cylon hands again," said Rogan. "They might use her to breed more hybrids, and she would cooperate again if she already did so before."

"And what about Kacey?" asked Lee.

"That THING'S fate is sealed!" said Rogan. "That piece of Cylon filth is to die!"

Lee was having greater difficulty keeping his anger in check, but used every ounce of his own will to do so. "You would really help someone to harm a child?!" said Lee. "What kind of man are you?!"

"That THING isn't a child," said Rogan. "All of you treat it like it is, just putting aside how she was created. Well, I WON'T! I will not forget! I owe her that much!!"

"Her?" asked Lee. "What are you talking about?"

Rogan was quiet for a moment before continuing. "My wife," he said. "Anna. She was left behind on Caprica when the Cylons attacked. I assumed she died, like all the rest. But on New Caprica, I found out different." He took deep breath, and then continued. "Anders."

"Sam Anders?" asked Lee.

"Yeah," said Rogan. "I was part of his resistance unit on New Caprica. We spent a lot of time together, the group of us. Talked about a lot of things. Including my wife. I showed Anders a picture of her. He recognized her from Caprica. While he was fighting with the resistance back there, he found her. Anna…my Anna…was in one of those DAMNED FARMS!! The Cylons had her hooked up to their FRAKKING breeding machines!!! All Anders and the others could do was give her a merciful death!"

Lee backed off a little bit, shocked at what he was hearing. Although still enraged over the part this man played in Kara's and Kacey's abduction, a little bit of sympathy did creep into his heart.

Rogan began to weep, and continued to speak. "She was my WIFE!! I loved her so much!!! She never harmed a soul!!! She was the most gently woman I ever knew!!! And those things RAPED HER!!! They used her like cattle!!! She was hooked up to machines, held in half-consciousness, while they did those things to her! And YOU!!! You protect that hybrid, that ABOMINATION that was created in one of those FARMS!! Gods, it could have been my WIFE they used as a slave to bring her into the world, only to throw her away like GARBAGE when they were done using her!!! And you call me evil for what I did? How DARE YOU!!!"

Lee just stood there for a moment, watching the enraged and blubbering man. He decided to end Rogan's torture and be merciful. "I only have one more question for you," said Lee. "How many men does Labreth have?"

"Four," said Rogan. "Four men. And I hope that thing you call a child is DEAD when you find them!"

Lee backed away, and walked over to the hatch. He found a nervous Chief Tyrol and an agitated Sergeant Hadrian waiting outside in the corridor. "Sergeant," said Lee. "Take Rogan to sick bay, and place him in custody. He was the one."

Hadrian stepped into the room, looked in horror at the broken form on the floor, and then turned back to Lee. "Your rank doesn't give you the right to do this, sir," said Hadrian. "I'm going to have to place you into custody, too."

Lee smirked. "No, I don't think I'm going to let you arrest me, Sergeant," he said, very calmly. "Come on, Chief, we've got an op to plan."

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Kara fell to the floor of her cell in a crumpled heap, completely exhausted from over an hour of torture at the hands of Labreth and his henchman. Loka had started with an electric cattle prod, jabbing it into Kara's form repeatedly until she screamed from the pain. After a while, Loka switched tactics. He pulled out a leather belt and began beating Kara with it, striking her on her back and her legs. Finally, Loka stopped, allowing Kara to fall to the floor, battered but still defiant.

"You still say that Leoben did not break you," said Labreth. "You did not give him anything he wanted."

"Nothing," breathed Kara, in a low, exhausted voice.

"Loka," said Labreth. "I think we've had enough of trying to break her this way. We shall try another method. Bring the girl."

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"Alright, saddle up!" yelled Lee. "Let's go!"

Helo, Sharon, Tyrol, and two Pegasus Marines loaded onto the waiting Raptor, with Lee waiting for them to get into the craft. His father stood beside him, and then put a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Find our girls," said Adama. "And be careful."

"I will," said Lee. He climbed onto the wing of the Raptor and sat down in the cabin. Sharon was at the controls, and the team was ready for takeoff in moments.

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Loka and another man brought Kacey in from the small room where they had been keeping her. Kara looked up from the floor and saw her little girl, crying at the sight of her mother crumpled on the floor.

"Kacey!" said Kara, pulling herself up from the floor as fast as she could. "It's okay, honey! We'll be okay!"

"Mommy!" cried Kacey. "They hurt you!"

"I'm okay, Kacey," said Kara. "Don't worry, baby."

"Hello, Kacey," said Labreth, approaching the little girl. "You're Mommy and I have been talking."

"You hurt Mommy!" said Kacey, with a half scared, half angry tone.

"Your Mommy wasn't telling us what we wanted to know," said Labreth. "I didn't want to hurt her, but she made me."

Kacey then started huffing her breath. "My Daddy will get you for hurting Mommy!!"

"Your Daddy?" asked Labreth. "The Cylon! You call him Daddy!"

"She's not talking about Leoben!" yelled Kara.

"Lee is my Daddy!" yelled Kacey. "He'll get you, FRAKKER!!"

Kara normally would have been half-horrified, half-amused to hear Kacey use her mother's best loved curse word. But now was not the time for humor, and she was more horrified over what these men might do to her daughter.

"I've told you the truth," said Kara. "Please, just let us go. Or keep me and let her go. She's harmless!"

Labreth turned to look at Kara. "This thing is anything but HARMLESS!" he said, with an angry tone. "You may raise her like a child, and have her call Lee Adama her father, but she is still a CYLON! No matter how much you try to hide that fact! It was very clever of Leoben to bring her to you. He was right to think you would bond with her. You said it yourself. Even before you were rescued, you said you came to love her as your daughter. Correct?"

"Correct," said Kara.

"Leoben had the perfect leverage," said Labreth. He nodded towards Loka, who approached Kacey with the cattle prod. "Kara, you seemed to feel a great deal of pain when Loka used that on you. Care to see him use it on Kacey?"

"NO!!!" screamed Kara. "DON'T YOU DARE!!! YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT HER!!"

"You have not cooperated," said Labreth. "You said Leoben did not break you, yet he had the perfect leverage to use to break you. Your love for this child. He was smart. He would have used it. Yet you still claim to have given him nothing he wanted!"

"He didn't get the chance!" yelled Kara.

"But I have that chance now!" said Labreth. "LOKA!"

Loka took the prod and jabbed it once into Kacey's stomach. She yelped and fell to the floor, unconscious from the pain.

"YOU BASTARD!!!!" cried Kara, with a feral roar. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!!"

"ANSWER ME, KARA!!!" yelled Labreth. "Truthfully!!!!"

Kara froze, her face reflecting a mixture of horror and rage.

"LOKA!!" yelled Labreth.

Before Loka could jab Kacey again, Kara yelled.

"I KISSED HIM!!!" yelled Kara.

"Hold," said Labreth, a look of triumph on his face. Loka complied, stepping away from Kacey.

"I kissed him," said Kara, tears falling down her cheeks. "And told him I loved him. I did it to save Kacey. And then I killed him one more time."

Labreth stepped towards Kara, a look of self-satisfaction on his face. "So, you did break. I knew you did."

"I never told anyone," said Kara. "Not Lee, not the Admiral, not Sam. No one knew."

"I see," said Labreth. He turned to look at Kacey, and then at Kara. "Would you have gone further? If Leoben had demanded sexual favors from you to save Kacey, would you have given them to him?"

Kara nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Would you have given him more hybrid children to save Kacey's life?" asked Labreth.

"Yes," said Kara. "To save my daughter, I would have done anything. I will do anything now to save her."

Labreth nodded. "And therein lies the problem. You are vulnerable to Cylon influence; through this thing you call a child. You are therefore a threat to the human race because you could very well indeed aid in their plans for us. I can not allow that. You and the hybrid must be put to death."

End of Chapter Twelve. Chapter Thirteen coming soon.

Will Lee save Kara and Kacey in time? What will happen to Labreth and his goons when Lee catches up to them? Find out by catching the next installment, which hopefully should be posted sometime early next week. In the meantime, please do submit some reviews with some feedback, if you are so inclined. Thank you faithful readers for sticking with the story. I hope you are still enjoying it.


	13. Chapter 13

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. Here is the next chapter of the story. Enjoy.

Chapter Thirteen:

"YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULDN'T HURT HER IF I COOPERATED!!" screamed Kara.

"Unfortunately, we had to resort to that subterfuge," said Labreth. "Do not worry. We will not be cruel. Loka has an injection that will put the hybrid to sleep."

"NO!!" screamed Kara.

Loka walked towards Kacey with a syringe. Labreth's other henchman held Kacey from behind. The little girl began crying out in fear.

"Shh," said Loka. "This won't hurt. It will be over soon."

"YOU BASTARD!!!" yelled Kara.

"Mommy!!" cried Kacey.

Labreth pulled out a gun and pointed it at Kara. "It is time to put you down as well, Captain Thrace," he said. "I'm sorry it had to end for you like this. Believe me when I say that I think of you as a victim of the Cylons, not as their willing accomplice."

Loka took Kacey's arm and held up the needle to it. Labreth cocked his gun. But before they could both commit their intended acts, the door on one end of the room went flying open.

Into the door stepped Lee Adama, a pistol in his hand. He was followed Helo, Tyrol, and two Marines. Loka immediately pulled out a pistol, but Lee shot him dead before he could finish drawing the weapon. The other man who had been holding Kacey let her go and ran out the other door. Helo dropped him with two shots in his back.

Labreth grabbed Kacey and held her up in front of him as a shield. "Back off!!!" yelled Labreth. "Or she dies!!!"

Lee and his team leveled their weapons at Labreth. "Let her go," said Lee. "And I might let you live!!!"

Labreth laughed. "You care too much about this thing to risk harming me now," said Labreth. "Now, clear a path for me to the door. I'll release her when I'm away."

"He's lying!" yelled Kara. "He'll kill her!!!"

"DO AS I SAY!!!" said Labreth.

"You're out of options!" said Helo. "She dies, you die!"

Lee smirked at Labreth. "You really think you're going to get out of here," he said. "Fine. There's the door. Everyone, back off."

"Lee, what the frak…!" yelled Kara.

"I said BACK OFF!!" yelled Lee.

His team complied, backing up warily from the door and Labreth. The latter smiled and backed up towards the door, while Kara looked on in terror. But Helo figured out what Lee was doing, and looked at Kara. He winked once, giving her a silent signal that it would be okay.

Labreth backed slowly into the corridor. "No one follows!" he yelled.

Just then, a hand reached out from the other side of the doorway and grabbed the hand Labreth was using to hold the gun. The hand twisted Labreth's wrist, and forced him to drop the gun.

The hand belonged to Sharon Valeri, who stepped towards Labreth and grabbed him by the neck. She turned his head towards her, and he looked into the face of the Cylon woman in fear.

"You would have come after my child next, wouldn't you?" asked Sharon, coldly.

She didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she snapped his neck with a swift motion, and then let his body drop to the floor. She looked over at Kacey, who was now cowering in fear and crying.

"Go to your Daddy, sweetheart," said Sharon.

Kacey got up and began running towards Lee. "Daddy!" she sobbed, as Lee moved towards her. He picked her up into his arms, and held her tight as she cried.

"It's okay now, baby," said Lee, his heart breaking over Kacey's obvious suffering. "Daddy's here. Daddy's here."

Helo released Kara from her cell. She hobbled over to Lee, who took Kara in his other arm as he held Kacey. She wrapped her arms around them both.

"Are you okay?" asked Lee, after gently kissing Kara on the lips.

"I'm okay," said Kara. "Kacey? Honey, you okay?"

"Men hurt me and Mommy," sobbed Kacey.

"I know," said Lee. "I know. They won't hurt you and Mommy anymore."

"We'd better go," said Helo. "We don't know if Labreth had any more accomplices around, besides the sentry we silence in the corridor before bursting in here."

"Lee, take us home," said Kara.

Lee kissed Kara again, and then took his family out of there.

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During the flight back to the Galactica, Lee held Kara and Kacey close to him the whole time. He took off his uniform shirt and wrapped it around Kacey. She finally settled down in Lee's arms, as did Kara, as the latter rested her head on Lee's shoulder.

"I almost lost you both," whispered Lee.

"I knew you would come for us," said Kara. "But…"

Lee gently caressed Kara's hair, and brushed a tear away from Kara's cheek. "I was so scared, Lee," she whispered. "More scared than I had ever been in my whole life. I felt so helpless."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you," said Lee. "A second or two longer."

"Talk about nick of time," said Kara. "I'd love to know how you found us."

"I'll tell you later," said Lee.

They looked down at Kacey, who was now fast asleep. Despite the dirt and bruising on Kacey's cheek, Kara couldn't help but think her little girl looked adorable wrapped in Lee's uniform shirt, with his Commander's insignia and the patch of the Battlestar Pegasus distinguishing the wrapping from an ordinary blanket. She also pondered all that had happened, and came to a final decision in her mind.

"I know Cottle wants to look us over," said Kara. "And I'm sure the Admiral is going to want to see us, too."

"He's waiting in the hangar bay," said Lee. "I don't think he'll rest easy until he sees the two of you safe."

"After we see Cottle and the Old Man," said Kara. "Will you do as I asked and take us home?"

"Back to your quarters," said Lee. "Sure."

"No, Lee," said Kara. "I mean…will you take us to OUR home, on the Pegasus."

Lee looked at Kara pointedly, the latter smiling at Lee's expression. "You mean it," said Lee. "You're ready?"

"Very ready," said Kara. "Not just for us to live with you, either."

"What do you mean?" asked Lee.

"Lee, we are a family," said Kara. "Don't you think we should make it official?"

Lee smiled, catching Kara's meaning. He pulled Kara's hand to his lips, and kissed it gently. "Kara Thrace, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Kara smiled. "Yes," she said.

Lee kissed Kara on the lips, and the people riding in the Raptor with them erupted in applause.

"What's going on back there?" asked Sharon, from the pilot's seat up forward.

"I just became the luckiest man in the universe," said Lee.

End of Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen coming soon.

Well, was it worth the wait? Let me know with some reviews. Any feedback you could provide would be most appreciated. Thanks for reading, and be on the lookout for the next chapter coming soon.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen:

The Admiral had been waiting for them when they got back to Galactica. As soon as Kara stepped off of the Raptor, the old man took her into his arms and held her for a long moment. Kara wrapped her arms around him, telling him that she was alright. Then, the Admiral took little Kacey from Lee's grasp and held her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"You brought them both back to us," said the Admiral, looking at Lee over Kacey's shoulder. "Our girls are home."

"Almost," said Kara, looking knowingly at Lee.

The Admiral was confused, but Lee said he would tell him all about it later. Lee took Kacey back from the Admiral and then brought both the little girl and her mother down to sickbay to see Cottle. After an hour of exams, the Doctor ordered them both to get bed rest, and told Kara to remain off duty for at least four days.

Afterward, Lee asked his father if he could bring Kara and Kacey to the Pegasus while they fulfilled their required bed rest period. The Admiral agreed. Then, Lee and Kara both told the old man the news about their engagement, and Kara requested a transfer to the Pegasus. The Admiral agreed, and pulled a pair of Major's rank insignia out of his desk.

"I've been saving these for you for when you were ready for them," said the Admiral. "I'm glad to see I'm going to have a full time flight instructor now. Not to mention I get to have you as my daughter-in-law, at last."

"I'll miss you, sir," said Kara, hugging the Admiral. "I'll miss Galactica."

"You won't be far," said Adama. "I expect regular visits from all of you. You're my family, and I spent too many years going for long periods without seeing my family. Not anymore. In the meantime, I want you to take two weeks before you transfer permanently, in order to get Kat up to speed and make the transition run more smoothly."

That night, Kara tucked Kacey into bed in the room Lee had made for his daughter in his command quarters on the Pegasus. The little girl had been bathed and cleaned up, and now had Lee's uniform coat wrapped around her, the latter getting upset every time someone tried to take it from her. Lee and Kara figured that have the coat made Kacey feel closer to her father, and thus feel safer after her traumatic ordeal.

Lee bent over and kissed Kacey on the forehead. "Sleep now, baby girl," he said. "You're safe here."

"I know I'm safe," said Kacey. "You're here, Daddy. My room you made for me always safe."

Both Lee and Kara stayed with Kacey until she fell asleep. Then, Lee carefully led Kara over to Lee's bedroom. Kara had bathed with Kacey, so she was now clean as well and ready for bed.

"I need to shower," said Lee. "You going to be okay for a few minutes?"

"Sure," she said. "Don't be long, okay."

"I won't," said Lee, who kissed Kara gently on the lips.

When Lee got out of the shower, he walked into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. He found Kara lying underneath the covers, smiling at him.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Lee.

"Just enjoying the view," said Kara, looking intently at Lee's body. "You know, morale among the female pilots on Galactica dropped sharply after you left to take command of the Pegasus. No more 'Apollo in a towel shows.'"

"Hey, what can I say," said Lee, taking off the towel and climbing into bed with Kara. "My public adores me."

Kara chuckled. "Yeah, well not anymore. You're body is now for my private shows only."

"Same goes for you I hope," said Lee, taking Kara into his arms.

"I guess I have to give up my life long dream of being a stripper," said Kara, jokingly.

"The only man you strip for is me," said Lee, kissing Kara passionately on the lips.

After a few moments, Kara gently pushed Lee away. "Lee, as much as I'd love to frak you silly right now, I don't think my body could take it."

Lee heaved a heavy sigh. "Right," he said. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Kara, wrapping her arms around Lee. "I love that you want me, because I want you just as bad. But we're going to have all the time in the world for that now."

Lee cuddled Kara close to him. "Funny, how you've become so optimistic," said Lee. "I remember a time when we both said that 'bright, shinny futures weren't for us.'"

"I've got to believe, Lee," she said. "Even after all Kacey and I have been through these past few days, I have to believe in the future. For the first time in my whole life, I am completely, gloriously happy. I have you, I have Kacey, and I have this future in front of me filled with belonging. I let you go once, and broke you're heart because I was afraid of the future I could have with you. Afraid that, like just about everything else in my life, it would turn to shit, and I couldn't handle that. Having such happiness with you, then losing it would kill me. But now, instead of running from fate because of fear, I'm fighting for my future because I love you so much, and I love Kacey."

"Good," said Lee. "Because if you run again, I'm just going to find you and bring you back. No matter where you go. I'm fighting for you and Kacey, and our future. Frak, with the two of us fighting on the same side, what could stand in our way?"

Kara laughed. "Gods, we sound like characters from some cheesy love story. Truthful, though our words may be."

"At any rate, we've got a wedding to plan," said Lee.

"Hmm, tomorrow," she said, resting her head on Lee's shoulder. "Plan tomorrow, rest tonight."

The two of them relaxed and fell asleep rather quickly; safe, secure, and together at last.

End of Chapter Fourteen. Chapter Fifteen coming soon.

Okay, new chapter will be along sometime within the next week. In the meantime, let me know what you thought of this one. Too sappy? I hope not. Reviews are always welcomed. Thanks for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

Before you begin this chapter, I wanted to apologize to my readers for not updating this story for so long. Basically, I had these different ideas swirling around in my head about where to go with it, until I finally came up with an outline of where I wanted to take the story. I hope that those who may have given up on waiting for an update may once again begin reading this story.

Now, on with the story.

Chapter Fifteen:

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Eleven Months Later:

Commander Lee Adama stood in the CIC of the Battlestar Pegasus, watching with a practiced eye as his crew went about their duties. Every once in a while, one would approach him with a report, which he would read and sign, and then he would return to his quiet monitoring of the scene around him. Lee had been in command of this ship for a little over two years, and it seemed to all that he was born to the job.

As Lee stood his watch, a figure approached the CIC from the corridor quietly, not wanting to be seen by the ship's commander just yet. She often did this; just stood and watched for a few moments. Major Kara Adama liked to watch Lee in CIC for some reason. It filled her with pride to know that the man she was watching, the one who was such an awe inspiring presence, was her husband.

They had been married for eleven months, and Kara Adama (with daughter in tow) transferred to the Pegasus. She was senior flight instructor and combined air group commander, and she was the wife of the Pegasus' CO. For the first time in her life, Kara felt like she completely belonged somewhere. She had her job, her husband, and her child, all beloved by her.

But this was not another day for Kara. She wasn't just watching her husband this time. Instead, she was apprehensive about how to tell him something she just found out. Everything had been so perfect between them, and with Kacey, that she wasn't sure how her news was going to change things.

Kara's apprehensive stance was finally broken by Lee, who turned to look at her and smile. She walked up to him finally, as he chuckled and shook his head.

"You've been standing there longer than you usually do, Major," said Lee.

"How did you know, sir?" asked Kara. They always used proper military protocol with one another in CIC. Kara had insisted upon it the most, wanting to protect Lee's command and his authority.

"I know everything that goes on in my CIC, Major," said Lee. "Now, you wanted to see me?"

"Sir, may we speak alone for a moment?" asked Kara.

"Major Hoshi, you have the CIC for a few moments," said Lee.

Hoshi nodded, and Lee stepped out into the corridor with Kara. "So, you went to the doctor?"

"Yeah," said Kara. "Throwing up for two weeks finally convinced me."

"What did he say?" asked Lee.

"Well, let's just say that I've got a little Adama growing in my belly," said Kara, with half nervousness and half joy.

"What?" asked Lee. "Wait, you're…you're…"

"The word is pregnant, dipshit," said Kara.

"Whoa," said Lee. "That's…wow, I mean, how did…"

"Lee, do I really need to explain the birds and the bees to you," said Kara.

"No, I mean…I thought that what the Cylons did to you…."

"They took one of my ovaries," said Kara. "That reduced the chance I could get pregnant. But there's one left, and your little sperm warriors raided it."

Lee looked at Kara, and then put his arms around her. "Are you okay? I mean, with…this?"

"You know, I'm little scared, but…well, since Kacey has been in our lives, I feel a lot better about it than I would have a few years ago. It helps to know that you'll be with me."

"You bet I will," said Lee, who then kissed Kara once on the lips.

In CIC, everyone went about their duties, unaware of the conversation going on in the corridor. But they turned suddenly when they heard someone shout. It wasn't a cry of alarm, but a cheer, and they were pretty sure it sounded like their CO's voice.

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That evening, Lee sat in his quarters, going over the duty logs for the day from the Pegasus' various departments. Before the job was done, the hatch to the room opened and Kara walked in with little Kacey in tow.

"Daddy!" the little girl yelled, running up to Lee and jumping into his lap.

"Hey, princess!" said, wrapping his arms around Kacey. "How was your day?"

"Fine," she said. "Grandpa and I sat and worked on reports together. Just like I do. You know he runs a battlestar, too."

"I know," said Lee. "Of course, your Daddy's is bigger."

Kara just chuckled. "Size doesn't always matter, remember that, Lee," she said.

Lee looked at Kacey's cute little face, and then looked at Kara, thinking of the little life now growing inside of her. Eleven months ago, Kara became his wife, in a dual ceremony in which Kacey played a special part. That day, Lee Adama married Kara Thrace, but he also formally adopted Kacey as his daughter. The little girl officially became Kacey Thrace Adama.

"Hey, Kacey," said Kara. "Come over here and sit down. Daddy and I have some news for you."

Kacey stepped down from Lee's lap and walked over to her mother. Kara patted the couch next to her and Kacey sat down. Lee sat down next to Kacey.

"Kacey," said Kara. "Your Daddy and I found out something today. It's going to mean a big change for all of us. You know how you, me, and Daddy, are a family, right?"

"Uh-huh," said Kacey. "Grandpa, too."

"Right," said Lee. "Well, our family is now going to include another person. Another child."

Kacey looked up at Lee with confusion. "What?"

"Kacey, Mommy is going to have a baby," said Kara.

"You are going to have a baby," said Kacey. "Like Aunt Cally and Aunt Sharon did."

"Yeah," said Kara. "I have a baby growing inside me, and in about nine months, the baby will come out and join our family."

"How'd you get a baby?" asked Kacey.

"Uh," said Kara, not sure how to tell Kacey about how baby's get made.

"Your Mommy and I made the baby together," said Lee. "It's hard to explain beyond that. You'll find out about that someday. A long, long…LONG, time from now."

Kara chuckled, knowing Lee's reasons for emphasizing the word "long" in the amount of time before Kacey learned about sex.

"So in nine months, the baby will come out," said Kacey.

"Right," said Kara, trying to hide her dread over the prospect of having to actually go through labor.

Kacey got very quiet, and a sad expression came over her face. Kara noticed it right away. "What is it, baby?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"You and Daddy made a baby," said Kacey. She didn't continue for a few moments, but then let out a sob. "But you and Daddy didn't make me. You won't want me when the baby comes."

Lee immediately pulled Kacey to him and held her. He kissed the tears away from her cheek. "Oh, baby girl, I will ALWAYS want you. We love you! You are my daughter, in every way that counts!"

Kara held on to both of them. "Kacey, your Daddy and I will love both you and the baby. Always. We will always be a family. But it's just going to be a little bigger. That's all."

"Kacey, you know how I adopted you, right," said Lee.

"I got to be an Adama," said Kacey. "Like you, Mommy, and Grandpa."

"That's right," said Lee. "You are an Adama now. Nothing will change that. Understand?"

"Yeah," said Kacey. "I'm sorry for being so dumb."

"You are not dumb, sweetie," said Kara. "We should have made things clearer to you when we told you. We're sorry, okay."

"Okay," said Kacey.

"Hey, princess," said Lee, looking at Kacey's sweet little face. "Can I have a smile?"

Kacey smiled at her father, and then kissed him on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy," she said, after the kiss.

"I love you, little lady," said Lee, kissing Kacey right back.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Kara.

Kacey reached over and hugged Kara's neck. The mother returned her daughters embrace, kissing Kacey on the cheek. "I love you, little rug rat," said Kara.

"I love you, too, Mommy," Kacey replied.

They stayed that way for a few more moments. Finally Kara got up. "Well, now that the sap fest is over, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

"I don't know," said Lee. "What are you fixing? It's your turn to make dinner. Remember."

Kara chuckled. "Good thing I love you," she said, kissing Lee on the lips. "I don't cook for just anyone."

"Too bad," said Lee. "If you cooked enough of your spaghetti sauce, you could wipe out the Cylons in one fell swoop."

"Be careful, Commander," said Kara. "One more crack like that, and I won't be cooking ANYTHING up with you for a while."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Lee, with a tone of surrender.

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"The threat is real," he said. "Prophecy is fulfilling itself."

"Has this information been confirmed," said one of the others.

"Yes," he said. "It has. I told you that we let her go for too long. Both of them belong here. With us."

"With YOU, you mean," said the second one.

"Enough," said another. "The threat is real. Prophecy is coming true. Kara Thrace and the child must be secured. The threat of her pregnancy must be dealt with."

"I will take care of it," he said. "After all, who among us knows her better than I do? Kara and Kacey have been away from me for far too long." He then closed his eyes and prayed for guidance. "By your command," said Leoben, speaking to his God.

End of Chapter Fifteen. Chapter Sixteen coming soon.

So, I hope I have peaked the interests of readers, both returning readers and new ones. Let me know what you think with a review if you get a chance. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks, and keep checking back for more updates.


	16. Chapter 16

Sorry about the lack of delineation between sections of the previous chapter when I previously posted it. The symbols I used for it in word did not translate to posting system. I went back and corrected it later.

Now, on with the next chapter.

Chapter Sixteen:

"Status!" said Lee, as he stepped onto CIC, closely followed by Kara, while the alarm klaxon sounded.

"Confirmed single Cylon heavy raider," replied Major Hoshi. "Hovering just beyond gunnery range. Vipers launching from both Pegasus and Galactica. The fleet is spinning up its FTL's and preparing to jump."

"Major Adama," said Lee. "Coordinate squadrons from here."

"Yes, sir," replied, Kara, moving to one of the comm. stations near the dradis.

"Sir," said the comm. officer. "Signal coming through from the raider to Galactica."

"Can we hear it?" asked Lee.

"Negative," replied the comm. officer. "Signal is a narrow band transmission."

"Major," said Lee, turning to Kara. "Status of Cylon intruder."

"Intercept squadrons report raider holding position, making no aggressive action," replied Kara. "Frak, I wish I was out there."

"Steady, Major," said Lee. "Order your fighters to keep an eye out for more raiders."

"Sir," said the comm. officer. "Galactica actual calling to speak with you and Major Adama."

"Pipe it through," said Lee, picking up one of the CIC's phones. "Sir," he said into the phone. "We're both here."

"Commander, the Cylon has requested permission to land on Galactica under flag of truce," said Adama. "The ship appears to be alone, and the Cylon aboard claims the ship's weapons have been disarmed. He also claims to be alone. Major Adama, have your fighters make a pass and scan for weapons or explosives."

"Yes, sir," said Kara, who began relaying the order to her Vipers.

"Sir," said Lee. "Are we considering granting their request?"

"If the risk appears to be minimal, yes," said Adama. "The President agrees. The chance for intelligence greatly outweighs the risk of ignorance if we refuse the request."

"Understood," said Lee.

"Sir," said Kara, coming back on the line. "Fighters report no sign of armed weaponry or explosives. No chemical agents of any kind either."

"Very well," said Adama. "Have your fighters bring it in. If it makes any wrong moves, knock it out of my sky."

"Yes, sir," said Kara.

"Lee," said Adama. "Watch things closely. If this turns out to be some kind of trap, Galactica may be incapacitated. Take appropriate action."

"Yes, sir," said Lee.

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A few hours later, Lee and Kara were walking down Galactica's corridors to Adama's quarters. He left Hoshi in charge on the Pegasus, and he and Kara both left Kacey with Cally and Tyrol on board the Pegasus just in case something happened. They weren't taking any chances with Kacey's safety.

When they got to Adama's quarters, they found the Admiral and President Roslin both waiting for them. "Please, have a seat you two. We need to talk."

Lee and Kara complied, sitting on the couch, while Adama and Roslin flanked them in nearby chairs. "We've spoken with the Cylon," said Roslin. "It's Leoben Conoy."

Kara immediately tensed, as did Lee. "The same one who…" began Lee.

"Yes," said Adama. "The same one who held Kara prisoner."

"I knew he'd be back sooner or later," said Kara. "It was too good to be true that he would give up on me and Kacey."

"Is that what he's here for?" asked Lee. "For Kara and Kacey?"

"He wouldn't say," said Roslin. "He's being very cryptic for the moment about why he is here."

"No surprise there," said Adama. "Given our experience with this model."

"I can tell you why," said Kara. "It's me and Kacey he wants."

"We don't know that for sure," said Lee.

"Lee, I know this MODEL more than any of you," said Kara. "He's here for me and Kacey."

"If that is it, we won't let it happen," said Lee. "You know that."

"He has said that he will only speak with Kara," said Roslin. "He will tell her why he is here. No one else. And he insists on seeing her alone."

"Well, you can tell him that there is not a chance in HELL that he is getting anywhere near Kara," said Lee. "Or I'll tell him if you want!"

"Settle down, son," said Adama. "Let's think this through. Leoben says that he has information vital for the survival of the people of this fleet, and that he will give it only to Kara. He says that if he doesn't, then our people are in grave danger."

"Convenient," said Lee. "I don't believe him. He's lying."

"It's not that simple," said Kara. "He's not just lying, if he is even partially lying. It's like the Admiral once said. The problem with Leoben isn't just that he lies; it's that he mixes lies with truth, and all working to serve a goal of some kind. Trust me. I know."

"There may be a serious threat to the fleet out there," said Roslin. "And if there is, we have to know."

"He is not seeing her!" said Lee, more emphatically this time than before. "I won't allow it!"

"What, you think 'cause you're married to me you own me?" asked Kara. "I can make my own decisions, Lee."

"Kara!" said Lee.

"Lee, she's right," said Adama. "This isn't easy for me, but we have to consider the benefits vs. the risk. Leoben agreed to a controlled environment for this to happen. Kara will speak to him through the phone in his cell. She won't come into any physical proximity to him, except through glass and bars."

"We also made this contingent upon Kara's agreement to speak with him," said Roslin. "It sounds like you are agreeing, Kara."

"Yes," said Kara, closing her eyes, and taking a breath. "If there's a threat, we've got to know."

Lee was a ball of nervous anger. He didn't want Kara exposed to Leoben again, but it seemed that the combined forces of his wife, his father, and the President were arrayed against him.

"Lee," said Kara quietly, as she gently put her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

Lee refused to be calmed down. "I can't believe this," he said.

"Lee, give me your eyes," said Adama.

Lee complied, looking at his father. "Lee," said Adama. "If it weren't for the threat to the fleet, and to the flag of truce he came in under, I would kill that thing with my bare hands for what he did to Kara. But we have the survival of humanity to think of here. That's bigger than all of us. Put aside your emotions, and think about this strategically. If she wasn't your wife, would you think this might be a prudent move on our part?"

Lee was quiet for a moment, before finally hanging his head slightly. "I suppose," he finally, reluctantly said. He then raised his head up, and looked at them all with conviction once again. "But if we are going to allow this, I want to be close by the whole time. Out in the corridor. And I want to see Leoben first, before Kara goes in."

"Lee…" began Kara.

"No, I want a read of my own on this Cylon before I let my wife talk to it," said Lee.

"That's a reasonable request," said Roslin. "You can see him, and be nearby when Kara sees him."

"Lee," said Adama. "You have permission to see him. Take no action against it unless it attacks you. And do NOTHING to provoke such an attack. Understood?"

Lee nodded. Kara turned Lee's face towards her with a gently nudge to his cheek. "I'll be okay," said Kara, who then kissed Lee gently. "I won't let him do anything to threaten our child."

"I still can't understand why you are so ready to do this," said Lee. "That thing put you through hell."

"Because I'm not going to hide from him, Lee," said Kara. "This is one demon I intend to confront."

End of Chapter Sixteen. Chapter Seventeen coming soon.

What's going to happen when Kara sees Leoben? More to the point-what's going to happen when LEE meets Leoben? Only one way to find out. Look for the next chapter to be posted soon.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen:

Leoben sat alone in the brig cell with a confident expression. He knew he would be seeing her soon. Adama and Roslin would have no choice but to send Kara to see what he knows. And he knew Kara too well. Her sense of duty and her combative, strong spirit would override her fear. "God is all knowing and wise," he thought.

The outer door to the cell block opened. Leoben looked at the door, hoping to see the object of his destiny walk in. Instead, he felt a twinge of anger as the man who has stolen Kara's heart from him stepped into the cell block, flanked by four armed marines.

"Unlock the cell," said Lee Adama, to one of the marines, who obeyed his order.

Once the cell opened, the Marines entered first, their rifles leveled at Leoben. "One wrong move, we fire," said the senior marine in the cell.

Leoben calmed himself, and simply smiled. "I am here under truce, remember," he said.

Lee stepped into the cell, and looked at the Cylon standing up to face him. Upon looking at Leoben, Lee couldn't help but think that this demon from Kara's past looked not at all threatening. He looked like a rather ordinary man, as common as any other person you would see walking down the street. But Lee also knew that this man wasn't a man; he was a Cylon. And he wasn't just any Cylon; he was the Cylon that imprisoned and mentally tortured the woman he loves. So much of Lee in that moment was screaming at him to kill Leoben slowly and painfully. But he had promised his father, and knew nothing would be served by killing Leoben.

"To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the son of the great Admiral Adama?" asked Leoben. "We've never met, but of course I know all about you. The son living in the shadow of his father, who even has the call sign signifying his connection to his father's legendary status."

"I know you, too," said Lee. "My wife has told me much about you."

"How is she?" asked Leoben. "When may I be seeing her?"

"Soon," said Lee. "I wanted to see you first. To meet you."

"I'm flattered," said Leoben. "This actually gives me an opportunity to thank you. For saving my daughter's life, when she and Kara were kidnapped by the bigots who tried to kill them."

Lee was startled. Leoben sensed it. "Oh, yes, we know about that," said Leoben. "We know much more than you might think."

This information made Lee very nervous. "How are they keeping tabs on Kara and Kacey?" he thought to himself.

"Why is Kara so important to you?" asked Lee. "Why do you want to see her?"

"She is the mother of my child," said Leoben. "I had hoped Kacey would be merely one of more that we would have."

"Never going to happen!" said Lee. "Kara is MY wife!"

"And I understand that Kacey now has the name Adama," said Leoben. "You adopted her. Tell me-it doesn't bother you to steal another man's daughter?"

"You have no right to call her yours!" said Lee. "The way you conceived her was an act of evil!"

"One man's evil is another's salvation," said Leoben. "Kacey is my child. You humans may try to disguise that all you want to with your measures to make her human! To make her yours!!" Leoben was beginning to speak with more anger. "But she is half CYLON! She is MY CHILD!"

"It must burn you up inside," said Lee, with a smirk. "To know that your little experiment to get Kara to love you didn't work. That's all Kacey really is to you, isn't she? A means to and end. A means to get to Kara. But in reality, Kacey is what helped to bring Kara and me together. How that must make you angry!"

Leoben flinched slightly in Lee's direction, his body tense with anger. But the Marines' fingers went for their triggers, ready to fire at Leoben's first step forward. The Cylon composed himself, realizing what the human was doing. "Nice try, Apollo," he said. "Trying to provoke me into making a suicidal move. That would prevent Kara from having to see me. You are quite clever. But you know nothing about my feelings for Kara and Kacey. They are beyond you're comprehension because you reject the one true God. I am God's servant and his messenger. I know him and to know him is the keystone of knowledge."

"Boy you are full of yourself, aren't you?" commented Lee. "Kara warned me about that, too."

"Are we done?" asked Leoben. "Are you done?"

Lee stood their silently, wanting to further put off the inevitable. But he knew Kara was waiting, and that the waiting was probably causing her as much pain as seeing Leoben again will. Without another word, Lee turned to leave the cell.

"Apollo!" said Leoben, to Lee's retreating form. "Remember the story of Icaraus. He flew too close to the sun, and he was burned by it. You've let Kara get close to you. But will it be you or she that falls?"

Lee turned around and saw Leoben sit back down in the chair he had been sitting in when the former walked in. The Cylon sat with a blank expression on his face, as Lee turned back around and continued out of the cell.

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When Lee stepped into the corridor outside of the cell block, he saw Kara waiting for him. "How'd it go?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Well, he's still breathing," said Lee, as he took a deep breath. "You were right. He sure is full of himself."

"You should hear him go on about streams," said Kara. "It's enough to make you sea sick."

Behind the banter, Kara was scared. Lee sensed his wife's fear, and put his arms gently around her. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, softly.

"No," she said. "But I've got to do this, Lee."

Lee kissed her gently. "I'll be right outside," he said.

Kara stepped towards the door to the cellblock. She took a deep breath, put on her best game face, and opened the door.

When she stepped in to the cell block, Leoben reacted immediately. He stood up and headed straight for bars of his cell, to get as close as he possibly could to her. Kara had to keep herself from backing away at his approach, her mind telling her that he couldn't get to her through the bars and there was nothing to be afraid of.

He sat down in the chair next to the phone inside of the cell, and picked up the receiver anxiously. Kara moved more slowly, sitting down in the chair next to the phone outside of the bars. Finally, she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

"I've waited a long time for our reunion, Kara," said Leoben. "Now, it is finally here, I still can't quite believe I am actually looking at you again."

Kara said nothing, but simply stared at him with a neutral expression. Leoben continued when Kara didn't respond. "God has truly blessed us to be reunited again, even though not under the best of circumstances. But he has reunited us for a purpose, Kara. We have some things to discuss."

End of Chapter Seventeen. Chapter Eighteen coming soon.

Don't you love a good cliffhanger? Ha, ha, ha! Aren't I evil? You'll just have to wait for Chapter Eighteen to see what comes next. I still have some surprises ahead, so stay tuned. In the meantime, thanks for reading. Any comments you wish to make, feel free with your reviews.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen:

Outwardly, Kara betrayed no emotion to the demon from her past she was confronting. She sat and watched him smiling at her, but kept her face perfectly neutral. On the inside, Kara was struggling to hold back her fear and her anger. Part of her wanted to run and hide from Leoben; another part wanted to kill him. She kept both of those parts of herself suppressed.

"What, not even a hello for an old friend?" asked Leoben, recognizing Kara's lack of response to any of his previous comments.

"Hello," she said. "Now are you going to tell me what you want?"

Leoben shook his head. "Now, now, let's not be rude, Kara," he said. "When old friends see each other after a long absence from one another, it is customary to exchange pleasantries."

"We are NOT friends!" said Kara, letting a little bit of her anger come through.

"After all that we have shared," said Leoben. "Speaking of-how is our little girl? I miss her so much."

"Kacey is fine," she said. "Now, can we get on with…"

"Just fine," said Leoben. "Is she getting bigger? Is she talking more? What is she like?"

"She's a well adjusted little girl, considering all she's been through," said Kara. "And she talks plenty now. Especially when she calls Lee 'Daddy.'"

Kara said that last part with a satisfied smirk. For a moment, Leoben showed anger, but quickly suppressed it. "I have to admit to being upset over that development," said Leoben. "It's not right to condition her to call someone else that. I'm her father. But we'll soon remedy that."

"If you think you're going to see her," said Kara. "Think again. You may have arranged for our little conversation, but you will not see Kacey."

"What if I told you that if I can't see Kacey, one of the civilian ships of this fleet will be destroyed?" asked Leoben. "What then?"

"I'm not playing this game with you," said Kara, getting up to walk out. "When you are ready to tell me what the threat to the fleet is, I'll come back."

Kara hung up the phone and started walking out. Before she could reach the door, Leoben pounded once, very hard, on the glass surrounding his cell. Kara turned around and looked at him. Leoben lifted his finger, and motioned for her to come back. Kara waited for a moment, but finally returned to her seat and picked up the phone.

"Are you ready to be straight with me now?" asked Kara.

"Fine," said Leoben. "Straight and simple. The Cylons are preparing an all out assault with a massive fleet of base ships. Galactica and Pegasus will be overwhelmed and the civilian fleet destroyed. Straight enough for you?"

Kara looked at Leoben for a few moments, trying to gauge whether the Cylon was indeed being straight with her. She decided that the threat he mentioned was real enough to do something about it. Kara began to get up to warn the Admiral to have the fleet jump away from its current location, but Leoben spoke to her as she moved to rise out of her chair.

"Don't bother jumping the fleet to a new location," said Leoben. "It will do not good. We will find you wherever you go."

Kara settled back into her chair. "Fine," she said. "Obviously, if you wanted to just destroy us, then you would have just jumped in with this massive fleet of yours and done it. You didn't just come here to warn me. I assume that you want something. What is it?"

"Very perceptive, Kara," said Leoben. "You are correct. I do want something. You and Kacey back with me."

Kara chuckled. "You mean that the Cylons are threatening to destroy what's left of humanity just so you can get your little human girlfriend and her child back?" She laughed again. "Boy, you toasters have some strange priorities."

"You are important to all of the Cylon, Kara," said Leoben. "As is Kacey. But that is not all we want. We also want back the other hybrid child you have in your custody."

Kara got serious once again. "Hera," she said. "You want Hera and Kacey?"

"And their mothers," said Leoben. "We want you, Kacey, Sharon, and Hera. If you are all handed over to me, and if I bring you back to the Cylon, then your people will be spared."

Kara shook her head. "No," she said. "No way. I am not going to live with you, and neither are the others. I will not be your slave again."

"Oh, Kara," said Leoben. "You were never my slave. Once you had learned to accept God's will, you would have lived in freedom among us. You still can, and will. As will Sharon, and the children."

"NO!" yelled Kara. "No way in HELL!"

Leoben rose from his chair. "Consider this, Kara," said Leoben. "You have a choice to make. As long as you and the others stay with this fleet, then this fleet is in danger. Will you really sacrifice all of humanity for your fear of the love God has to offer? Your fear of the Cylon? Think about this. We could destroy this fleet and still come for you in the wreckage of what is left. If you come willingly with me, then humanity will live on. We no longer wish to destroy all of humanity, as long as we go our separate ways. And as long as YOU come with ME!"

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"He's bluffing!" said Lee, as he, Kara, Helo, Adama, and Roslin discussed the matter later in the Admiral's quarters.

"Even if he isn't," said Helo. "We are not handing over Sharon, Kara, and those little girls to the Cylons!"

"Calm down, both of you," said Roslin. "You are acting like protective husbands and fathers, and I understand why. But we need to consider what he said in order to find a way to defeat his gambit."

"He said that they can somehow figure out where we would jump to if we tried to hide from the Cylons," said Adama. "How can they do that?"

"There's no way to track a ship through hyper jump," said Helo. "Lee's right. He's bluffing!"

"They did it before," said Adama. "Right after we fled the colonies. They hounded us for all of those days, every 33 minutes jumping to our exact location to attack."

"That's because they had a plant on board the Olympic Carrier," said Lee, still bitter over the memory of having to destroy that ship. Then, his thoughts turned to his own conversation with Leoben. "He knew all of that information about Kara's and Kacey's kidnapping. That must mean there is a Cylon agent operating among us."

"We've always suspected that there were Cylon agents among the fleet," said Roslin. "Remember, there are at least five Cylon models we have not seen yet."

"It would have to be someone with knowledge of the fleet's intended jump coordinates," said Kara. "That narrows it down a bit."

"We could plot a jump and keep it a secret from all but those we absolutely have to tell," said Helo. "No one else."

"That's risky," said Adama. "We don't know who this agent might be. This agent could be right here on Galactica. And we have no proven method of finding a Cylon among humans."

"So what do we do?" asked Lee. "Because we sure as hell are not handing them over to the Cylons."

"I don't know, son," said Adama. "But we'll find a way. We will not sacrifice them to the Cylons."

"Why now?" asked Helo.

"What?" asked Lee.

"Why would he come now?" asked Helo. "I mean, if there is an agent among us, then Leoben could have pulled this move whenever he wanted. Why now? What's different?"

"He seemed rather pissed that I adopted Kacey," said Lee. "Maybe that's it."

"That happened months ago, Lee," said Kara. "He would have acted before that."

"Maybe the Cylon agent wasn't in place yet," said Roslin. "Perhaps we should examine recent personnel transfers on the various ships of the fleet."

"Right now, we are taking shots in the dark," said Adama. "We'll check into the various possibilities, but for now this fleet is under threat. Have jump coordinates prepared, ultra secret, to be used in case we come under attack. We can only hope that we can keep the Cylons from finding our destination. In the meantime, we search for that agent."

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That evening, Lee and Kara lay in their bed on the Pegasus. They always slept close to one another, but that night, Kara clung to Lee a little tighter and his arms were wrapped a little more protectively around her. Neither of them could sleep.

"Lee," said Kara. "I've been thinking."

"That's never good," said Lee.

"Shut up!" said Kara. "I happen to think up to pretty good plans once in a while."

"Oh, yeah, like your plan to get Kacey to eat her peas," said Lee. " 'Pretend their vipers coming in for a landing in her mouth' you said."

"Can we get serious here?" asked Kara.

"Fine," said Lee. "What have you been thinking?"

"That I turn myself over to the Cylons," said Kara, quietly.

"Now you're joking again," said Lee, looking at her with a more determined expression.

"Lee…"

"Absolutely NOT, Kara," said Lee, caressing Kara's face. "They are not getting NEAR YOU! I won't HAVE IT!"

"Lee, maybe if I give myself to them, they will be satisfied with just me," said Kara.

"NO!" said Lee, now sitting up in bed.

"Lee, we have to consider this," said Kara. "Is my life really worth more than all of humanity?"

"What about the baby?" asked Lee. "You are carrying our CHILD! I am not turning either of you over to them!"

"Maybe they'll let me wait until after the baby is born," said Kara. "I don't know, Lee, I just can't help but think that we are putting my life over the lives of everyone in the fleet. I mean, if I gave my life in a dogfight to protect the fleet or I give it as a prisoner, what's the difference?"

"I am not going to sacrifice you to them, Kara," said Lee.

"So we let the survivors of the human race die for me?" asked Kara. "I don't know if I can live with that."

Lee was quiet for a moment, his thoughts taking him away from the conversation. Kara looked at him, and then punched him in the arm.

"OW!" yelped Lee.

"Hey, we're talking about me sacrificing myself here, and you go off into la-la land," said Kara, with an accusing tone.

"Kara, I just had a thought," said Lee.

"This can't be good," said Kara, matching Lee's earlier quip.

"Kara, Helo asked 'what's different?'" said Lee. "What's different that would make Leoben come for you now? Kara, don't you see. You're pregnant! That's what's different."

"Wait, you think the Cylons want me now because I'm pregnant," said Kara. "You mean—they want my baby, too?"

The last part she said with growing fear; fear of the possibilities Lee's theory put forth. "We have to consider it, don't we?" asked Lee.

Kara began to quiver with fear. "Oh, gods, Lee, they want our children," she said. "Both of them!"

Lee pulled her to him, and stroked her back. "Never going to happen, Kara," he said. "Like I said; I won't let them near you, or our babies!"

"But how could they know I'm pregnant, Lee," said Kara. "We just found out a week ago, and we've kept it quiet for now."

"If they do have an agent among the fleet," said Lee. "then he or she could have told them. But that would mean the agent would have to be really close to you. They would have to be…"

"Here on Pegasus," said Kara. "Or on Galactica. Leoben said they have been keeping tabs on me and Kacey. Gods, Lee, what are we going to do?"

"I'm doing two things in the morning," said Lee. "First, I'm going to have you and Kacey guarded by at least four Marines at all times. If one of them is an agent, the others can deal with it."

"I can take care of myself, Lee," said Kara. "Just have Kacey guarded."

"No, Kara, both of you," said Lee. "That's an order. Meanwhile, I need to have a little talk with someone. I need some answers."

End of Chapter Eighteen. Chapter Nineteen coming soon.

So, what do you think of their new problem? How do you think this will play out? You'll have to tune in for the next installment to see. In the meantime, please do post some feedback with some reviews. Is the story still good or not? Let me know. Thanks.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen:

"We should have known this would happen eventually," said Sharon. "Hera and Kacey are both important to the Cylons."

"Sharon, don't worry," said Helo, pulling her to him. "We won't let them take you. The Admiral, Lee, the President…we're all agreed on this."

"You know, I actually wonder a little if it was just me they wanted, whether or not they would hand me over," said Sharon. "I mean, would they really give up the chance to trade one toaster for the lives of everyone? Maybe it's their demand for Kara along with me that's keeping them from doing it."

"Sharon, you've more than proved yourself to the Admiral," said Helo. "And even if they did decide to do something like that, I wouldn't let it happen."

They heard a knock on the hatch to their quarters. Helo walked over to the hatch and opened it. Lee was standing on the other side.

"Sir," said Helo. "What can we do for you?"

"Hi, Helo," said Lee. "Actually, it's Sharon I need to speak with. Alone, if you don't mind."

Helo got nervous. "I don't know, I…"

"Helo, it's okay," said Sharon. Turning to Lee, she continued. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Please come with me," said Lee.

"Wait, why…" began Helo.

"Helo," said Lee. "Trust me, alright."

Sharon touched Helo on the shoulder to reassure him, and then walked past him out the door into the corridor with Lee.

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Lee led Sharon through Galactica's corridors to one of the storage areas in a little-visited section of the ship. This part of the ship was in the process of being modified into a museum area when the Galactica was due to be decommissioned; before the war changed all of that.

Sharon followed in silence, not knowing where Lee was leading her or why. Finally, Lee approached a storage room door and opened it. On the inside was the shell of a Cylon centurion, the like of which was seen during the first Cylon war.

Lee looked at the centurion, then at Sharon. "This was going to be part of the museum exhibit on Galactica, before the war started," said Lee. "I wanted to speak with you here because I need to understand some things, and I need you to understand some things. Let me start by asking you a question. What do you see when you look at this?"

Sharon stared at the shell of the centurion, long dead and with all of its internal components removed. "I see a Centurion Model 1; an Antiquated model."

"Do you see this thing as some kind of ancestor?" asked Lee.

Sharon thought for a moment. "Maybe," she said. "As a Cylon, I know of the past of my race. This is part of our heritage."

"Growing up, I heard stories about these centurions," said Lee. "From my father and others; from the first war. I grew up knowing that the Cylons were humanity's greatest enemy. That they tried to wipe us out once. But I look at it, and I look at you, and I wonder how closely you are related. It's hard for me to reconcile the two."

"The Cylons have come a long way since this, sir," said Sharon. "But why…"

"You know that it has taken me a lot of time to trust you," said Lee. "Every time I look at you, I see a flash come into my mind. A flash of memory. A memory of you gunning down my father in cold blood."

"That wasn't me, Lee," said Sharon. "I would never hurt your father."

"I know that in my mind," said Lee. "But a woman that I trusted, who looks just like you, tried to kill my father. But it wasn't in cold blood, was it? It was programming that caused her to do it."

"Yes," said Sharon. "Is that why you brought me here? To ask me if I am programmed to do something like she did?"

"No," said Lee. "Sharon, I brought you here because I need to be honest with you. It's hard for me to trust you. I'm working against all of the hatred of Cylons programmed into me, both by stories of your predecessors, like this one, and through all I have seen since the war started. I wanted to be straight with you, because I'm hoping you can be straight with me. Despite all of my previous lack of trust I have shown you."

Sharon was silent for a moment. Finally, she nodded. "I'll do what I can."

Lee looked again at the centurion. "Sharon, how much of you is a machine like this, and how much is not?"

"That's not an easy question to answer," said Sharon. "I have independent thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Part of me is a machine. I can download like software into another body. But a greater part of me; my emotions, are much like yours."

"Like love," said Lee.

"Yes," said Sharon. "Like love."

"Do all Cylons have as much feeling as you do?" asked Lee.

"The different Cylons feel things to varying degrees," said Sharon. "Much like humans."

"And Leoben," said Lee. "Does he love Kara and Kacey? Can he love them?"

"Lee, I'm not sure," said Sharon. "I would say it's more like an obsession with Kara that motivates him to want her. Considering all he has done to her, I wouldn't consider it a healthy kind of love he feels for her."

"And Kacey?" asked Lee.

"I think he does love her," said Sharon. "To what extent, I can't say. Lee, if you brought me here to try and understand Leoben's psyche, I'll be of limited assistance to you. It would be like me asking you to explain why Baltar has done what he has. Just because you and he are both human doesn't mean you understand his psyche."

"That's not exactly all I'm looking for," said Lee. He looked pointedly at Sharon. "I want to know why the Cylons want Kara. Why do they think she is special to them?"

"I know Leoben thinks she has a destiny important to the Cylons," said Sharon. "And that some of the other Cylons think that as well. But I've never really understood it myself."

"Your God doesn't speak to you like he does to Leoben?" asked Lee. "Doesn't speak to you about Kara's destiny?"

"No," said Sharon. "All I can tell you is that Kara having Kacey is seen by the other Cylons as part of God's commandment to be fruitful and multiply. As was Hera's conception."

"There's something else," said Lee. "Helo asked something yesterday in our meeting in my father's quarters. He asked 'why now?' Why did Leoben come for you and Kara and the girls now? What's different?"

"We were discussing that last night," said Sharon. "I don't know."

"Kara and I considered it, too," said Lee. "We came up with a frightening theory. You see, Kara and I have been keeping something from most people for now. We wanted to find the right time to tell everyone. Kara and I are going to have a baby."

Sharon became very quiet, and became lost in thought for several moments. "Kara's…pregnant," she said slowly, and quietly.

"Yes," said Lee.

"With your baby," she said.

"Yes," said Lee. "Sharon, is that it?"

Sharon remained quiet for a few more moments, pondering all she had just heard.

"Sharon!" said Lee, getting more agitated.

"I think that's the key, Lee," said Sharon. "My God, the prophecy. I wasn't sure…I mean; I suspected that they thought Kara might be the key to it, but…"

"Sharon, what are you talking about?" asked Lee. "What prophecy?"

"Lee, just as your scriptures contain prophecies, so do ours," said Sharon. "We believe that God laid forth clues as to the destiny of the Cylons. That through these prophecies, we can steer a course towards a future that would see the Cylon become the inheritors of God's kingdom in this world."

"And you think Kara is mentioned in these prophecies?" asked Lee. "How?"

"I think that the Cylons believe she is," said Sharon. "At least, they suspect she is. And if they do, then they will try to take Kara. Or, if necessary, kill her."

"Why?!" asked Lee. "What makes her so damned important to them?!"

"There is a prophecy about a woman," said Sharon. "A human woman, who was born into a life of hardship. The prophecy said that she would survive years of torment to become a great warrior. Her hard life made her strong. But on the inside, deep down, all she wants is love. The one thing she never had."

"That certainly sounds like Kara," said Lee. "But I'm assuming there's more to the prophecy."

"Yes," said Sharon. "The prophecy lays out two possible paths for the woman. One would lead her down the path of salvation for the Cylons. God said that if she could be convinced to couple with a male Cylon, that their children would lead the Cylons to a destined glory. These children would lead a new generation to shape the universe into what the Cylons would have it to be. That God would bless the Cylons with complete dominance over the entire universe; with the right to shape it as we see fit."

"So they think that if they can get Kara to mate with Leoben," said Lee. "That she would bear the leaders of the new generation of Cylons?"

"Yes," said Sharon. "That also explains why they want Kacey. As for me and Hera…they want Hera to be a part of that new generation. And me…they want to box, I'm sure, as a traitor."

"You mentioned two possible destinies," said Lee. "What's the other one?"

Sharon looked pointedly at Lee. "The prophecy said that the warrior woman would find herself drawn to a great human leader; one who was bred from leaders and for leadership. If the woman allows this leader into her heart, and if their love was to bloom, their union would produce a child. A human child, who would be born to lead humanity to a new beginning. This child would grow up to lead the humans to vanquish the Cylons and reclaim God's kingdom for the human race. It was considered a test of worthiness of the two races. Where would the hardened woman find love? The man who wins her heart proves their race worthy. For love is the most powerful, and most God like, of all emotions. God is love."

Lee stood in stunned silence. He didn't speak for several moments.

"God, I'm a fool," said Sharon. "I should have seen it before. You and Kara. She is the woman and you are the leader born of leaders and bred to leadership. And now…"

"Kara is pregnant with my child," said Lee. "This is…this is crazy. That prophecy…I mean, it describes Kara and I. But how can that be? How could the Cylons know?"

"God knows," said Sharon.

"I don't believe in your God, Sharon!" said Lee.

"Then listen to your own scriptures, Lee," said Sharon. " 'All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.' The circle of time."

"I can't believe this," said Lee.

"Believe what you will, Lee," said Sharon. "But the Cylons believe it, or at least suspect that Kara is the one described in our prophecy. There's your reason for it all."

"What do we do?" asked Lee. "What will they do?"

"They will try to take her to put her on the path that leads to Cylon victory in the prophecy," said Sharon. "Or kill her and your child to prevent the other destiny from occurring. Either way, they wish to kill your unborn child. And they will destroy this fleet to get to her. As long as Kara is in this fleet, then the Cylons will make good on their threat."

"For them to know, that means there must be an agent on either Pegasus or Galactica," said Lee. "We have to find out who it is."

"Even if you do," said Sharon. "Then what? The Cylons will still come. Count on it."

"I don't know," said Lee. "But we'll find a way. We have to."

End of Chapter Nineteen. Chapter Twenty coming soon.

So, how are they going to deal with this? What do you think of this little plot twist? I've had this conversation with Lee and Sharon in my mind for a month now as I considered where to go with this story, i.e. Sharon having answers about why the Cylons are so interested in Kara. I'd love to know what you think of this chapter, and how you think the story is going so far, so I look forward to seeing your reviews with any feedback you may have. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more to come.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty:

"This is crazy," said Kara. "This if frakking nuts! They actually think I'm some kind of mother of the future?"

"Yes," said Sharon. She, along with Lee, Adama, Roslin, Kara, and Helo, were gathered in the Admiral's quarters to discuss what Sharon and Lee had figured out. "Many of the Cylons do. Enough to make good on Leoben's threat if you don't go with him."

"What about you, Sharon?" asked Helo. "Are you mentioned in this prophecy? Or Hera?"

"Not specifically," said Sharon. "But they want Hera and me, too. Don't doubt that."

"This is not as crazy as we might think," said Roslin. "After all, much of our journey has been guided by our own scriptures. Our destination-Earth-comes from our own belief systems. So, too, are the Cylons guided by their own beliefs."

"The question now is how do we keep Kara, Kacey, Sharon, and Hera, safe from the Cylons, yet keep the fleet safe as well?" said Adama.

"They will come after the fleet as long as we are here," said Sharon. "Especially Kara."

"Nice to be wanted, huh?" asked Kara, sarcastically.

"They've been after us since the war started," said Helo. "This changes little."

"Yes it does," said Sharon. "Leoben said that if they have what they want, then they will leave the fleet alone. That might be true. If they have me, Kara, and the girls, then the threat posed by the fleet is minimal. Kara would eventually help the Cylons fulfill their destiny separate from the humans."

"And in the process, kill mine and Lee's child," said Kara, with growing anger. "That's a big difference for me. They're not just threatening humanity as a whole, now. It's personal. They are threatening MY CHILD!"

"They won't get our baby, Kara," said Lee, putting his arms around Kara to calm her. "We'll fight them. Any way we have to."

"I agree that handing Kara and the others over to the Cylons is unacceptable," said Roslin. "But we have to find a way to protect them and protect the fleet as well. And as Sharon said, as long as they are with the fleet, the fleet is in danger."

"We are dancing around and around on this, but haven't figured out a solution," said Adama. "We can't just hang onto Leoben forever."

"Fine, we airlock the bastard," said Lee.

"We do that, and the Cylons will come and attack," said Adama. "And we still haven't found the Cylon agent."

"I hate to say it, but the Cylons will come eventually as long as I'm here," said Kara. "Maybe if I took a jump-capable ship and ran for it…"

"NO!" said Lee and Adama, both at the same time.

"I'd be a smaller target to find," said Kara.

"You'd be an easy target, Kara," said Adama. "You're a great pilot, but you couldn't evade the Cylons forever alone."

"What if she wasn't alone?" commented Lee.

"Lee, you're being with her wouldn't make much of a difference," said Adama.

"Wait, Kara said a jump-capable ship," said Lee. "She didn't say which ship."

"I don't follow," said Roslin.

"You said it yourself, Madam President," said Lee. "As long as Kara, Sharon, Kacey, and Hera are with the fleet, the fleet is in danger. What if they did separate from the fleet, and in a ship that could keep them safe?"

"What ship are you talking about?" asked Roslin.

"Pegasus," said Lee. "Kara and the others escape on Pegasus."

"What?!" said Kara, in disbelief.

"Commander Adama, I know this is very personal for you, but are you SERIOUSLY suggesting that we reduce this fleet's military strength by half just to protect four people?" asked Roslin.

"No," said Lee. "To protect all of the people of this fleet. Don't you see. As long as they are here, the fleet is in danger of massive Cylon attack. If they come at us with a major fleet, and they can track us somehow through our jumps, then one more battlestar won't make much of a difference. But if Kara and the others are on Pegasus, and if Pegasus separates from the fleet and goes off in a different direction…"

"They'll chase Pegasus, and leave the fleet alone," finished Helo.

"How will they know we are aboard Pegasus?" asked Kara.

"The same way they have always known," said Lee. "They're agent, whoever that is, will tell them."

"Lee, I can't see sending away a whole battlestar for this," said Adama. "If it were just Kara and my grandchild to consider, and not the security of this fleet, I'd do it, but how can we ask your crew to risk themselves for just four people?"

"It's for the fleet, Dad," said Lee. "For the survivors of humanity, like I said before. It's the same as it has been since the war began. My crew will be protecting the survivors of humanity by crewing the Pegasus and luring the Cylons away from the fleet."

"How long would you have to be gone?" asked Roslin.

Everyone remained quiet, before Lee finally answered. "Indefinitely," he said. "At the very least until our baby is born."

"It's risky," said Kara. "But it could work. It would remove the immediate threat to the fleet."

"I could also leave some of my Vipers behind with Galactica to reinforce your squadrons," said Lee. "Hell, without the fleet to hinder us, Pegasus would have a lot more tactical options for evasion and defense against the Cylons."

"It would mean exposing your wife and children to even greater risk," said Roslin.

"They're already at risk," said Helo. "Lee's right. This would give us a fighting chance, and protect the rest of the fleet at the same time."

"I'm assuming that you would want to transfer to the Pegasus," said Adama to Helo. "To be with Sharon and Hera."

"Of course, sir," said Helo.

"I'd be losing a valuable senior officer, our best pilot, and a whole battlestar's crew," said Adama. "Not a very good prospect."

"This is going to be a very hard sell to the people if we do this," said Roslin. "Sending away one of our two battlestars and its defensive capabilities to save four people."

"Like Lee said," said Helo. "It would remove the immediate threat to them. Sell it that way."

"Sharon," said Adama. "You've been quiet through all of this. What do you think?"

"It could work," said Sharon. "The Cylons would definitely be more interested in finding us than coming after the fleet."

"What if the agent is still in the fleet when Pegasus jumps?" asked Roslin. "The Cylons could still track us, but not Pegasus."

"We have to find the agent before Pegasus jumps away," said Lee. "Even though I think the agent would find some way to be on Pegasus before we did jump."

"So we're back to finding the agent," said Adama. "Any thoughts on how to do that?"

"Wait, the agent has to be someone who can keep tabs on me, right?" asked Kara. She smirked. "That's the answer. We use my original idea as a ruse to flush out the agent."

"What do you mean?" asked Adama.

"Make it known that Sharon and I are jumping away in a Raptor or something," said Kara. "To a safe haven somewhere. The agent couldn't possibly go with us, and wouldn't want to loose track of me. He or she would try to prevent that, and probably make a grab for me. They would have to come more out into the open to do it."

"And we would be ready when he does," said Helo. "Smooth move."

"Not so smooth," said Sharon. "The Cylon agent isn't stupid. He or she might see it for an obvious ruse."

"But could the agent take the risk?" asked Lee.

Sharon was thoughtful for a moment. "No," she said. "It could work."

"Set it up," said Adama. "We flush the agent out. As for the plan involving Pegasus; let the President and I consider it more before deciding."

"Agreed," said Roslin.

The group dispersed and began to head out of Adama's quarters. Before they could all leave, Adama spoke up. "Lee, Kara, a moment, please."

The summoned pair stayed behind while the others left. Adama walked over to them. "If I agree to Lee's plan," said Adama. "It would mean that I would loose you two, and my grandchildren. I don't know if I can bear that."

"Dad," said Kara, using the name more and more for Adama since she and Lee married. She put her arms around the older man. "I love you. Lee loves you. Kacey loves you, and our newest addition will love you, too. Count on that. We will be back someday, and our children will know you. I swear it. Hell, I have to make sure they know who my hero is."

"Dad," said Lee. "You and I haven't always been on the best of terms. But leaving you will be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Especially considering it would mean reducing your military force here."

"I care just as much, if not more, about the reduction of my family force here," said Adama. "I'm still not sure about this whole idea for both reasons. But Lee, you have a family to protect. Do it any way you can. And know I'm proud of you; of both of you."

Adama took them both into his arms. "And Kara," said Adama. "In regards to you being the mother of the future; I have no doubts that your children will do great things. Just like their parents."

"And their grandfather," said Lee.

End of Chapter Twenty. Chapter Twenty-One coming soon.

Thanks for being patient waiting for this chapter. I had some difficulty working out the logistics of taking the story to where it's going, and a lot of it depended upon this chapter's conversations. I wanted to take some more time with it, so that's why it took me several days to update the story. I also wanted to thank the readers who are sticking with this story. I know it's going off in a slightly different direction than where it started. Also, I hope the ending of this chapter wasn't too fluffy, but I thought it was warranted. Thanks for reading, and thanks to those who have posted reviews thus far. Stay tuned for more updates, and keep that feedback coming.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One:

"Gods DAMMIT, Kara!" screamed Lee, at the top of his lungs, as he and Kara stood in one of the corridors of the Pegasus. "I am NOT going to let you do this!"

"The Admiral agrees with MY DECISION!" yelled Kara. "I am taking Kacey and taking a Raptor and jumping the hell AWAY from this fleet! It's the only way!"

"I know that," said Lee. "But I have to come with you!"

As they yelled at one another, crewmembers paused to watch the couple scream at one another, not used to see two high ranking officers appearing to almost come to blows.

"Lee, the Pegasus needs you!" yelled Kara. "It will only be temporary until it's safe for me to come back!"

"Oh, and when will that be?!" asked Lee. "I am not letting you leave without me!"

Kara looked around, and saw several of the crewmembers staring at them. "What the FRAK are you looking at?!" she yelled.

"Get on with your duties!" said Lee, sternly.

The crewmembers who had been watching quickly scurried off. "Look, Lee, let's take this to our quarters, okay? Talk it over without half the crew watching?!"

"Finally, a sensible suggestion from you!" said Lee.

They marched through the corridors to their quarters. When they got inside and closed the hatch, Lee pulled Kara to him and started kissing her. She kissed him back, as she began to ravish his lips and neck.

"So, you think they bought it?" asked Kara, in between kisses.

"I think the scuttlebutt about our fight is spreading all over the ship like wildfire as we speak," said Lee, as he ran his hands through Kara's hair. "Gods, this is nuts. I am so turned on right now, and it wasn't even a real fight."

"You think it would be healthier if REAL fights turn us on?" asked Kara, as she started unfastening Lee's pants.

"Our real arguments often do," said Lee, as he unbuttoned Kara's uniform shirt. "But why fight it."

"Kacey still with the Tyrols?" asked Kara.

"Uh-huh," said Lee.

"Good, place to ourselves," said Kara, as she pulled Lee's pants down.

"Bedroom?" asked Lee.

"Too far," said Kara. "Right here!"

She pulled him down onto the deck, as they started pulling off each other's clothes. "Wait, don't you say your but gets bruised when we frak on hard surfaces?" asked Lee.

"Who says I'm going to let you be on top?" asked Kara, with a sexy grin on her face.

"Gods, I love you," said Lee, as Kara rolled him over and straddled him.

"I love you, too," she replied.

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He stood and silently pondered the news he had just heard. He had heard the rumors about their argument in the corridors. The one the Cylons wanted most was going to try and escape them. If she jumped away in a Raptor, he could no longer track her. The Cylons could still find her, but the task would be that much more difficult. He knew that he must act. He prayed to God, and knew what course he must take. Even if the Cylons could not have her and make her a part of their destiny, she could still be prevented from being a threat to the Cylons' future. He would have to kill her.

"Sir," said Captain Taylor, who approached him from behind.

Major Hoshi broke away from his thoughts on what to do and turned to face the Pegasus CAG. "Yes, Captain."

"Flight Ops report for your, sir," said Taylor.

Hoshi took the report, read it over, and signed it. "Thank you, Captain. I'll pass it along to the Commander."

"Sir," said Taylor, as he turned and left CIC.

Hoshi's mind left the façade of his life as a human officer and once again returned to his own thoughts, and pondered how best to fulfill his mission for his fellow Cylons.

End of Chapter Twenty-One. Chapter Twenty-Two coming soon.

Okay, this one was a shorter chapter, but I think it still had some intriguing plot points. Don't you? Look for Chapter Twenty-Two to come along soon.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two:

Today was the day. If it was going to happen, it would happen today. Lee made sure that it was general knowledge that Kara and Kacey would be boarding a Raptor and jumping away from the fleet, to protect themselves and the fleet's population from the Cylons. He was clever about it, though. He made sure that the knowledge was in the form of rumor, so that the Cylon agent-whoever that was-did not suspect a trap.

Kara zipped up the last bag. She was ready to go. "Kacey," she said. "Are you dressed?"

Kacey came out of her room wearing her favorite outfit. When Lee rescued them from Labreth, and wrapped his uniform coat around Kacey, she didn't want to let go of it. She loved it because it reminded her of her Daddy and her Mommy. Sharon, who had taken up sewing during her time in captivity on Galactica, made a little uniform for Kacey, complete with Pegasus patch and rank insignia. Kacey had her own uniform, and Lee could get his back.

"Mommy, why are we going?" asked Kacey.

"Don't worry, baby," said Kara, picking up her child. "It will be okay."

She picked up the two bags she had packed for show, and had Kacey in her other arm. She exited out into the corridor, and found the Marine detail Lee had assigned to them waiting.

"Hangar deck, fellas," said Kara.

The Marines nodded and escorted them down the corridor. But before they got too far, the sound of an explosion rang out through the ship. Kacey started crying, and personnel started racing about while the alarm klaxon sounded.

"Stay here, please, Ma'm," said one of the Marines, as he ran to investigate the explosion. The other two Marines stood with Kara and Kacey, their weapons at the ready.

They waited for several moments, before the Marine returned. "Major, there's been an explosion in the corridor ahead. We'd better get you back to quarters where we can protect you."

"Negative, get us to CIC," said Kara. "We'll be safer there."

"Roger that, Ma'm," said the Marine, who began to lead them through the corridors to CIC. In the meantime, the Marine got on his radio and informed CIC they were on the way.

But before they could get there, Major Hoshi came up to them.

"Kara," he said. "I'd heard you were coming. The Commander told me to find you and get you to a safe location while he handles the explosion. Please come with me."

"Okay," said Kara.

They headed off in a new direction, the Marines and Hoshi now acting as guard to the mother and frightened little girl.

"I want Daddy," sobbed Kacey.

"Shh," said Kara. "Daddy will come. Momma's got you."

They walked a long way until they finally reached one of the cargo holds in the lower sections of the ship. Hoshi opened the hatch to the hold.

"Marines," said Hoshi. "No one gets in this hatch except Commander Adama. Anyone who tries-shoot them! Understood?"

"Aye, sir," said the senior Marine.

The Marines took positions in front of the hatch, as Kara, Kacey, and Hoshi, entered the cargo hold. Hoshi closed the hatch behind them, and dogged it so no one could get in.

"This isn't good," said Kara. "We should be where there's more people around. I don't like this."

"This is the perfect place, Kara, just relax," said Hoshi.

He then drew his weapon and aimed it at Kara. She looked in astonishment as Hoshi held the gun on her. "You," she said. "It's you. You're the Cylon!"

"Yes," said Hoshi. "Surprised?"

"Yeah, you could say that," said Kara. "Of all the people…Lee's own XO…a frakking toaster!"

"Perfect cover, really," said Hoshi. "There I was, standing beside him in CIC, reporting to him on ship's operations, seeing you two get closer. All the while, no one suspected a thing." He chuckled. "Listen to me, going on like some freshly revealed villain in a bad novel."

"What the frak do you want?!" asked Kara.

"You know what we want, Kara," said Hoshi. "The question is-how much do you love that little girl you're holding?" He looked at Kacey. "Tell me, Kacey-how much does your Mommy love you?"

"Leave her alone!" said Kara, her voice filled with fury.

"Protective, aren't you?" asked Hoshi. "You want to protect her from harm, don't you? You can do that, you know. You have a choice to make. You can save her or both of you die here and now."

"You're really going to kill me," said Kara. "You do, and those Marines out there will kill you. Are you willing to die?"

Hoshi laughed. "I die, I download into a new body. Do you really think we would have sent Leoben to Galactica without a resurrection ship nearby?"

"But the other Cylons don't know you," said Kara. "If they had spare bodies of your model, they would."

"There are bodies of my model at the ready, in a secure section of the resurrection ship," said Hoshi. "I will be reborn, my mission having been completed. So, you have a choice. You and your daughter live, and come with me. Or, you both die…here and now. You're choice."

"How would you get us off?" asked Kara.

"I'm going to evacuate you for your own safety," said Hoshi. "I just received orders from the Commander to that effect. At least, that's how I've arranged things to look to the deck crew in the hangar. That's how being the XO pays off around here. The Commander may be the one in charge, but the XO knows all that goes on aboard this ship."

"Mommy, I'm scared," said Kacey.

"I know, baby, it'll be okay," said Kara.

"Are you lying to the child or have you agreed to my conditions for her life and yours?" asked Hoshi.

"Would you really kill Kacey?" asked Kara. "Am I seriously supposed to think you would allow that?"

"We know now the hybridization process is possible," said Hoshi. "Experiments to that effect continue with other genetic material we took from the colonies. But we can not allow you to survive unless you are with us."

"You mean you can not allow my unborn child to survive," said Kara.

Hoshi looked at her pointedly. "The child need not be killed if you cooperate."

Kara chuckled. "You think I'm stupid. I know about your prophecies and about what role you think my child and I play in them."

"The child can be raised to think of the Cylons as brothers and sisters," said Hoshi.

"My children will not be raised to love Cylons," said Kara.

"Then your children will die here and now," said Hoshi. "Starting with this unfortunate child."

"The hell they will," said a man's voice, echoing out from behind the containers in the cargo hold.

Hoshi turned and saw Helo step forward with a group of Marines, all of them with weapons pointed at Hoshi. "Weapon down, NOW!" said Helo.

"Took you long enough," said Kara.

"We had to come in the auxiliary hatch on the other side of the bay, and do it quietly," said Helo. "Fortunately, Mr. 'the XO knows all that goes on aboard this ship' forgot to seal that hatch when he set up this little plan of his."

"He never expected us to be on to it, or for there to be a tracking device in mine and Kacey's uniforms," said Kara, who turned a victorious glare towards Hoshi. "He expected this to be quick, before anyone could respond. Didn't you?"

"He didn't expect me to be on board with a squad of Marines standing by," said Helo. "Hoshi here had all of his attention focused on where Lee was, not counting on the fact that others would be there to protect you and Kacey."

"You think you have won," said Hoshi, with a voice of cold determination. "You have won nothing. This is merely a set back. We will have you, Kara Thrace, or no one will."

"I scare you, don't I?" replied Kara. "My child scares you, because you think that my having a baby with Lee Adama fulfills the prophecy you fear most. You know, I don't believe in your god, or your frakking prophecies. But know this-my child will live. Both of my children will live. They will live to be the enemies of the Cylon. And if you do manage to kill me someday, they will avenge me a hundred fold!"

"Why wait for someday?" asked Hoshi, who began to pull the trigger on his weapon.

But Helo fired first, striking Hoshi in the neck. The latter's body spun away from Kara, but his finger managed to pull the trigger before his body collapsed to the deck. Hoshi's shot impact on Kara's right shoulder. She almost fell to the floor, but held herself up for fear of dropping Kacey. Fighting back the pain and the force of the impact, Kara slowly lowered Kacey to the deck, before falling backwards from the pain.

"KARA!" screamed Helo, who ran over to Kara's fallen form.

Kacey was crying, blood splattered on her from the close proximity she was to the point of impact on her mother's body. "MOMMY!" she screamed, as she shook with terror. "YOU HURT!!"

"Shh, baby, it's okay!" said Kara, trying to reassure her daughter, between heavy breaths as she tried to control her pain. "I'm okay!"

They heard pounding coming from the nearby hatch. "Get the hatch!" yelled Helo to the Marines, as he began tending to Kara's wounds.

The hatch was opened, and in ran Lee with pistol in hand, followed by what must have been half of the Marines on the Pegasus hot on his heels.

"I'm okay!" yelled Kara to Lee. "Get Kacey!"

Lee obeyed his wife's instructions, and picked up Kacey, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "It's okay, baby girl, I'm here," said Lee, in a soothing tone. "Mommy will be okay. We're okay. We're okay."

Lee turned and looked at Hoshi's body, now lying motionless on the deck. Six Marines hovered over it, with weapons trained on it just in case Hoshi wasn't quite dead yet. He made sure Kacey's face was turned away from the blood and gore of Hoshi. She had seen enough of that for today.

A medic hovered over Kara, checking her wounds.

"How is she, Doc?" asked Lee.

"She'll be okay, sir," said the medic. "Bleeding is pretty profuse, but I'm getting that packed off now. The Major will need immediate surgery, but she'll be okay."

"I'm pregnant, Doc," said Kara. "My baby."

"We'll check on it when we get to the Med Bay," said the medic.

End of Chapter Twenty-Two. Chapter Twenty-Three coming soon.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted a chapter, but I've been pretty busy of late. Part of why I was busy was because I went to a convention this weekend and got to meet Mary McDonnell and Jamie Bamber. Ha, ha, aren't I lucky? Anyhow, look for an update very soon, and let me know what you think of this chapter with a review if you can. Thanks for reading.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three:

A few hours later, Kara opened her eyes and found herself in the Pegasus med bay. She saw Lee sitting in a nearby chair, smiling as she looked at him.

"Hey, look who finally awakens," said Lee, getting up to sit on the bed next to Kara.

"Yeah, with a big frakking headache," said Kara, groggily. Then, hesitantly, she says, "Lee, the baby. Is…"

"The baby's fine," said Lee. "The damage was no where near the fetus, and you didn't loose enough blood to pose a danger to the baby. You're going to be fine."

"Kacey?" she asked.

"Eyes left," said Lee.

Kara turned and saw Kacey sleeping in the next bed over, having been cleaned up from when Kara last saw her. Helo was lying on the bed with Kacey, holding the little girl tight as they both slept.

"Kacey didn't want to leave you," said Lee. "I tried to make her go back to our quarters with Helo, but she threw a fit. You should have seen her, standing there, giving her best 'Starbuck' impersonation that said 'don't frak with me or you'll regret it.' It was the cutest thing I've ever seen, though I didn't think it was at the time."

Kara smiled. "That's my girl," she said. She then looked at Lee with feigned annoyance. "But you never think it's cute when I do it."

"I do, sometimes," said Lee. "I just don't tell you that."

She chuckled, but then grimaced. "Frak, my head hurts."

"Here," said Lee, bending over to kiss her forehead. "Better?"

Kara shook her head. "Here," she said, pointing at her lips.

Lee smiled and kissed Kara on the lips ever so gently. "I love you," he said, after kissing her.

"I love you, too, fly boy," said Kara.

"Kara, I'm sorry I couldn't get there sooner," said Lee. "But the explosion…"

"It's okay, Lee," said Kara. "You had Helo looking out for me. No one better in your place. You have a ship's crew you are responsible for. You're place was there. How bad was it?"

Lee closed his eyes, remembering the sight of the dead and wounded from the explosion. "Four dead, eighteen wounded," said Lee. "The explosion happened in corridor C just outside of the hangar. It was an anti-personnel mine, so the structural damage was light." He was silent for a moment before continuing. "One of the dead was Stinger."

"Gods," said Kara. "I'm sorry. I was actually starting to like the guy."

"Me too," said Lee. "He was a great CAG, and…he was becoming something of a friend. Of course, so was Hoshi." He was silent again for a moment before going on. "Gods, how could I have been so stupid?"

"You couldn't have known," said Kara. "Quit beating yourself up over it. I'm the one who's to blame for all of this. If it hadn't been for me…"

"No way," said Lee, kissing Kara once again. "You're not to blame. The Cylons did this, not you. So stop thinking that way."

Kara smirked slightly. "Yes, sir," she said, slightly playfully. "I'll try."

"Good," said Lee.

Kara rubbed her head again.

"Head still hurt?" asked Lee.

"Like hell," she said.

"I'll get the Doc to give you some more pain meds," said Lee, moving to get up.

"Wait, before you go," said Kara. "Can I have some more of your special medicine?"

Lee looked at Kara's seductive grin. "Anytime," he said, bending over to kiss her.

"Hey, you two make out in the strangest places," said Helo, waking up from his little nap.

"Hey, Helo," said Kara. "Awake at last?"

"Yeah," said Helo. "Coming to the rescue makes me tired as all get out."

"Thanks, Helo," said Kara. "For looking after Kacey, and for saving my ass."

"You bet," said Helo. He then felt Kacey stir in his arms. "Hey, squirt, look who's awake?"

Kacey woke up, and saw her mother smiling at her. The little girl leapt up from the bed and ran over to Kara's bed, climbing up with a little boost from Lee.

"Careful, now," said Lee. "Mommy's fragile at the moment."

"Hey, precious," said Kara, pulling Kacey to her. "You okay?"

"I'm okay," said Kacey. "I'm tough, like Mommy."

"Good," said Kara. "But you know, it's okay if you were scared. I was, too. Tough girls get scared sometimes. Are you still scared?"

Kacey hung her head. "A little," she said. "You were hurt and there was blood and loud noises and…"

"Shh," said Kara, pulling Kacey in for a kiss on the cheek. "I know, baby. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"Daddy tried to make me leave," said Kacey. "But I wanted to see you okay."

"I know," said Kara. "He was just trying to protect you. Like he does me."

"I'm protective of my girls," said Lee, kissing Kacey.

"I know," said Kacey. "Nothing can hurt me on Pegasus. Daddy's ship. 'Specially with Uncle Helo around."

Helo walked over to the bed. "I'm glad you've got that much confidence in me," he said.

"I'd better go get the Doc to give you those meds," said Lee.

He got up and went to go find the Doctor. But before he did, Lee walked over to Helo. The former held out his hand, and Helo took it.

"That's twice now you've helped to protect my family," said Lee. "I owe you everything. I want you to know that…I may have had problems with Sharon in the past, but if you or your family ever need me, I'm there."

"We're in this together, Lee," said Helo. "Good to know we've got each other's backs."

"If you two boys are through pledging loyalty to each other, I could really use those meds," said Kara.

"I'll go get the Doc, Lee, you stay with them," said Helo, who walked away as Lee returned to be with his girls.

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Later that day, Admiral Adama came into the Pegasus med bay along with Sharon, who piloted him over from the Galactica. Helo pulled Sharon into a tight embrace, while the Admiral immediately walked over to Kara, and bent down by her bed. He kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Being shot is not exactly fun," said Kara, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

"Trust me, I know," said Adama, remembering his own experience at being shot.

"Yeah, we should form a club," said Lee, rubbing his old wound for emphasis.

"Hi, Grandpa," said Kacey, in a sweet little voice that always made the old man's heart melt.

"Hey, princess," said the Admiral, who picked up Kacey and kissed her on the cheek. "How are you doing?"

"Mommy got shot," said Kacey. "It was scary, but Mommy said it's okay to be scared, and still be strong."

"She's right," said Adama. "I'm so sorry that mean man scared you. I don't like it when someone scares my little lady."

He held her for several minutes while talking to Kacey and her parents. Finally, he put her down and Kacey returned to lie down on the bed beside Kara.

"Lee, a moment, please," said Adama.

"I'll be back," said Lee to Kara, kissing her on the lips, and then kissing Kacey on the cheek before joining his father, Sharon, and Helo, near the entrance to the med bay.

"It was Hoshi," said Adama. "I can't believe it."

"He must have been planted on the Pegasus since before the war," said Sharon.

"It makes since," said Adama. "Before the war, Admiral Cain was on the rise as a promising officer. The Cylons would have known that, and wanted someone close to her."

"He's been undercover all this time, waiting," said Helo. "But how could he know that Lee and Kara would end up here?"

"He couldn't have," said Sharon. "He probably watched and waited for an opportunity to help the Cylon cause. He's probably been in contact with the Cylons periodically for updated orders. When Kara started coming aboard to be with Lee, he had an opportunity."

"Remarkably patient bastard, wasn't he?" commented Lee.

"I understand Kara's going to be okay," said Adama. "How about Kacey?"

"She wasn't physically hurt," said Lee. "But she was in Kara's arms when Hoshi shot her. Her mother's blood splattered on her. Sufficed to say, she was traumatized by it all."

"Oh my God," said Sharon, looking over at Kacey, and holding back a sob. "That's…that's…no child should have to endure that."

Adama became silent, a look of quiet fury coming over his face. He just stood there for several moments, looking at Kacey and Kara.

"Sir," said Helo. "You okay?"

"Fine, Helo," said Adama. "This just confirms for me what the right course of action has to be. Lee, I've decided to let you take Kara, Kacey, Sharon, and Helo, on the Pegasus and separate from the fleet. We'll work out the details later."

"The President?" asked Lee.

"She's still uncertain, but after this," said Adama. "I think I can give her the final nudge into agreeing with me. The danger to the fleet is clear, and the source of that danger…unwitting of a source as you all might be…is an unfortunate necessity."

"In the meantime, I need a new XO," said Lee. He looked at Helo. "I understand you have some experience with the job."

"A bit, sir," said Helo.

"You want the job?" asked Lee.

"I'd be honored, sir," said Helo, shaking Lee's hand.

"Good choice, Lee" said Adama. "Helo, you served me well as XO before Tigh returned. I know you'll do the same for Lee. But this time, you'll do it with the proper rank for the position."

"You're making me a Major, sir?" asked Helo.

"No," said Adama. "Congratulations, Colonel Agathon."

End of Chapter Twenty-Three. Chapter Twenty-Four coming soon.

Wow, two chapters in two days! That's pretty unheard of from me latey, huh? Well, consider it a little present to all of those readers who have stuck to the story and waited patiently for my slow updates. More to come, so stay tuned for more chapters. Thanks again for reading.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Leoben had been sitting in his cell for days with no visitors, save the Marine that brings him food twice a day. It gave him time to think on God's plan, and for the part he hoped he was to play in it. Kara's destiny would be fulfilled with the Cylons, one way or another.

He was surprised to hear the door to his cell open one day on a time other than those during which he was fed. Leoben turned to face four armed Marines, who ordered him to put his hands on his head. He complied, putting up with the rough treatment as he had since he arrived on Galactica. The Marines chained him to the wall nearby, and stood at the ready to shoot if he made one wrong move.

Leoben smiled brightly when he saw Kara walk into the cell. His smile was short lived when he saw Lee come in right behind her, a pistol in his hand.

"You know, Kara, the guns and the protective husband are not necessary," said Leoben. "I would never hurt you. You should know that. This is despite the fact that you once tortured me and killed me a number of times."

"Spare me your shit, Leoben," said Kara. "I know all about why you and the Cylons want me. You think of me as some kind of second coming, and you want me to be breeding stock for a new race of Cylon hybrids. If you can't have me, no one can. Is that it?"

"Kara, you would be the mother of a new race," said Leoben.

"I like the one I'm a part of now," said Kara. "Most days, anyhow. And as for you; you are a lying piece of shit! Telling me you would never hurt me. If that's true, explain why your agent tried to kill me and Kacey."

"What?" asked Leoben, clearly in shock. "You're lying!"

"No, she's not," said Lee. "My XO, Hoshi, was your agent. He tried to kill Kara and Kacey."

"So much for your love for me and Kacey, huh," said Kara. "You would see me dead before seeing me stay with Lee, wouldn't you?"

"They just didn't show enough patience," said Leoben. "I didn't know, Kara. I swear it! I would never hurt Kacey!"

"I don't know whether to believe or not," said Kara.

"I wouldn't," commented Lee.

"Either way, it doesn't matter," said Kara. "You're fellow Cylons won't be as patient as you might be. They want me, or they want me dead. I'm just here to tell you that your threats against the fleet won't work anymore. We're going to release you to go to your Cylon brethren. Tell them that I won't be with the fleet anymore. I'm leaving, with Kacey, Sharon, and Hera. We're leaving the fleet and going off on our own."

"Well, not exactly on their own," said Lee. "They're going with me on the Pegasus. If you want to get to her now, Leoben, you're going to have to get past the guns of my battlestar, along with her squadrons of fighters. You might win, but I'll make you pay dearly in the attempt. I promise you that!"

"Of course, you've got to find us first," said Kara. "Much harder for you to do without your agent."

"We'll find you, Kara," said Leoben. "No matter where you go. Your husband and his big, bad ship can't protect you forever."

"We'll see," said Kara. Then, in a low, threatening voice, she continued. "Who knows? Maybe I'll come and find you instead. Pray to your God I don't, because if I did find you-you'd die slow and painfully before your rebirth. Count on it!"

"God will not be put off forever, Kara," said Leoben. "Your destiny will be fulfilled."

Kara just chuckled, and then turned around to walk out of the cell. Lee stayed for a moment, staring at Leoben with a cold expression.

"When you go back to your fellow toasters, consider this," said Lee. "If you are really Kacey's father, and you really love her, then how do you feel about your people trying to kill her? How do you feel about Kara's blood being splattered on her face? Ask yourself those questions, and then ask your God if the answers fit the role of a father?"

Lee followed Kara out the door. The Marines unchained Leoben, and then left the cell, locking the door behind them.

Out in the corridor, Lee and Kara faced Sharon and the Admiral. "Well?" asked Adama. "Did you tell him?"

"Yeah, and he did seem surprised," said Kara. "Maybe he didn't know they were going to try and kill me."

"It's possible that's one of the reasons why they sent him as an emissary," said Sharon. "Get him out of the way for when the hard choices had to be made."

"So the other Leoben's don't have as much fascination with Kara?" asked Lee.

"I'd be almost sure that they don't," said Sharon. "They might share some of his attraction towards you, but only through the process of shared memories. But it's kind of like with me; not all of the model eight Cylons love Karl."

"So this might cause some disruption among the Cylons," said Adama.

"If he makes an issue of it," said Sharon. "Or the others might declare him a disruptive influence and box him. Or he may not make an issue of it at all. There are too many variables."

"Still, it's a shot at psychological warfare," said Lee. "By releasing him, we might give the Cylons some problems to contend with in their own ranks."

"We'll wait until after you all leave," said Adama. "Then we're flushing him out an airlock."

"You're killing him?" asked Sharon. "Why?"

"I made the request," said Kara. "One last kiss off from me to him for putting my family through this."

"But you said…" began Sharon.

"I said we'd be sending him back to the Cylons," said Kara. "He'll download. Unfortunately. But like you told us; he'll experience death one more time, and a big frakking headache when he downloads."

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Several hours later, Lee and his father were sitting alone in the latter's quarters on Galactica. They were having a drink, and discussing Lee's plans once they jump.

"Kara will take over as CAG," said Lee. "But since she won't be able to fly until after the baby is born, most of the day-to-day leadership of the air group will be handled by Narcho. He's senior."

"He's pretty cocky," said Adama.

"Remind you of someone I'm married too?" asked Lee.

Adama smiled knowingly.

"A male version of Starbuck," said Adama. "Who would've thought?"

"I'll take the sexy female version I'm married to any day," said Lee.

"Have you informed Showboat about her transfer to Galactica?" asked Adama.

"Yes, sir," said Lee. "She's not happy about leaving the Pegasus, but I explained to her that you needed a good flight instructor now that Kara's going to be gone. Plus, Kat's a good CAG, but she needs Showboat's experience to balance her."

"Good," said Adama. "Besides, you're stealing three of my best officers. You owed me."

Lee chuckled. "Yeah, well blame the Cylons for making us do this."

"I do," said Adama. "As if I didn't have enough reason to hate them, now they've separated me from my family. At least for a year."

"By the way, I have the coordinates from Gaeta for our rendezvous," said Lee. "He told me no one's seen them but you, him, the President, and Tigh."

"Correct," said Adama. "Until then, what are your plans?"

"Avoid the Cylons at all cost," said Lee. "We'll lay low, keep moving so they can't jump us easily. We'll head in the opposite direction you are."

"Just bring that ship back in a year," said Adama. "Yourself and your crew along with it."

"I will, sir," said Lee.

"Lee, you're going to be on independent command for the first time," said Adama. "No old man to turn to for advice, consultation, guidance, or orders. But I know you can handle it."

"I've got good people with me, sir," said Lee. "I won't let them down."

Adama grew silent, just looking at his son. Lee looked back, smiling a little bit. But then, Lee let out a sob. "I'm going to miss you, Dad," he said.

Adama pulled his son to him, and held him close. The old man started crying, too. "I love you, son," he said. "And I'm damned proud of you. Both professionally and personally. You've turned into a good officer, good husband, and a better father than I was."

"Hey, you had your moments," said Lee. "After all, I wouldn't be wearing this uniform, doing a job I love and I'm good at if it weren't for you."

"Lee, please take care of yourself," said Adama. "And take care of our girl. Kara acts tough and brash, but she can be very fragile. Protect her and your children."

"With my life," said Lee. "I swear it."

End of Chapter Twenty-Four. Chapter Twenty-Five coming soon.

Okay, anyone pick up on the inside joke in this chapter? I know it's pretty awfull, but I couldn't resist. I'm sure Katee would have appreciated it, though.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five:

The night before Pegasus was due to jump away from the fleet, Kara lay in bed having difficulty sleeping. She was alone, for Lee was busy overseeing the transfer of all necessary supplies to the Pegasus for its extended journey. Even with all the supplies it could carry, they would have to be strictly rationed.

But finally, Kara's weakened condition due to her recent wounding drove her mind to let the urge to sleep take over. She fell into a deep sleep, and began to dream.

Kara found herself standing in a room with a large window looking out at the stars. She recognized the room as being the observation deck on board a battlestar. Kara looked at the stars for a moment, but then noticed that she wasn't in the room alone.

There was a young man standing near her, perhaps twenty years old, staring out at the stars. She had never seen him before, but somehow, he seemed familiar to her. He was about six feet tall, with brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a fair complexion. The young man was wearing a colonial officer's uniform, adorned with flight wings and ensign's rank insignia. Through the uniform, Kara could see that the young man had a strong, athletic build, and he carried the build with a sense of pride rarely seen in such a young man. He was smiling, and his smile made him all the more attractive for its mixture of raw charm and shit-eating cockiness.

"Hello," said Kara.

The young ensign didn't respond. He simply continued looking at the stars, and didn't even react to Kara's presence. It was as if he didn't know she was there.

Kara heard the hatch open, and saw a beautiful young woman enter the room. The woman was about the young man's age, with long dark hair that flowed down her back. Her gorgeous dark eyes and tan complexion were accentuated by the smile she had on her face. She, too, was wearing a uniform, with similar insignia to the young man's.

"Everyone's looking for you," she said in a soft, sweet voice, as she approached the young man.

She put her arms around him, and nuzzled him on the neck gently. He turned and pulled her into an embrace that told Kara all she needed to know about what these two people were to each other.

"I know," he said, in a voice that was gentle and strong all at the same time. Then, sarcastically, he added, "It's a bitch being so in demand."

"Oh, yeah," she added, with just as much sarcasm. "It's a real bitch being a conquering hero. The men all pat you on the back; the ladies all want you to stud their children."

"You know the only woman I want to be a stud for is you," said the man, kissing her on the lips.

Kara felt self-conscious about watching these two make out, but her sense of being an un-welcomed voyeur was overridden by her intense curiosity about these two people.

After breaking the kiss, the young woman smiled. "Yeah, well, what makes you think I'm going to let you?" she replied, playfully.

"I have my ways," he replied.

"Come on," she said. "We'd better get going. Your people await you."

"And what about me being your stud?" he asked.

"Later, Adama, later" she replied, leading him out of the room.

"Adama," said Kara, once again being unheard and unseen by the people in the room. "That's why he looks familiar. He does remind me of Lee. But…"

The young man turned back to look at the stars one more time, and smiled. Kara could swear she's seen that smile before. But she couldn't place where. Then, she turned and looked at the stars herself. That's when she saw it. Her reflection in the glass. She was smiling. "Gods, that smile," she said.

Kara woke up, and found Lee lying in bed with her, holding on to her lovingly. She was sleeping so deeply, that she hadn't felt him climb into bed. Kara looked at his sleeping form intently, focusing on his face, and then remembering the face of the young man of the dream. She remembered her own reflection in the window in the dream as well. Now she knew who the young man in the dream was.

"Our son," she whispered to herself.

End of Chapter Twenty-Five. Chapter Twenty-Six coming soon.

I know this chapter was a short one, but I wanted this part of the story to be self-contained. Expect another chapter within the next two days. In the meantime, I know this chapter might have been a little weird, and it is definitely an experiment on my part. I would really appreciate any feedback you could provide me on it. Did you like the chapter or think it was too off the wall?

Oh, by the way, who do you think the young woman was? If you're not sure, there is a clue in the next chapter, so stay tuned.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six:

The next day, Kara said nothing to anyone about her dream. Somehow, she had the feeling that the dream was only for her; perhaps a reassurance from the gods that all of the trials and tribulations she had endured through her life would be worth it. She would have a son, who would grow to be a strong young man; and it seems by the presence of the young woman, a young man who will be loved. Kara still had no idea who the young woman was, even though she too seemed familiar.

Her dream about her future son still hovered in the back of her mind as Kara joined Lee, Hera, Kacey, Helo, and Sharon, aboard Galactica to make their final goodbyes to everyone. The experience of these goodbyes was incredibly painful to Kara, as it was to the others, and they had to keep reminding each other why this separation was necessary.

When the group headed for Pegasus boarded the Raptor, only the Admiral and the President remained on the flight deck. Both kissed Kacey goodbye one more time, and hugged her parents once more. Finally, the Raptor hatch closed, and Sharon piloted them back to the Pegasus.

Twenty minutes later, Lee and Helo entered the Pegasus CIC. Kara and Sharon stood near the entrance, letting their husbands get on with the business at hand. Kacey and Hera were in their respective Mommy's arms.

"XO," said Lee. "Are we ready to jump?"

Helo spoke with the last officer he needed to check with, and then turned to Lee. "Aye, sir, all stations report ready for jump."

"Commence jump," said Lee.

"Aye, sir," said Helo, who then turned to the CIC crew. "All stations, the order is given. Jump now."

The Pegasus jumped away from the rest of the fleet, and came out of the jump on its own in the emptiness of space, with only the distant stars to keep them company.

"Sir, jump successful," reported the officer at the navigation station.

"Very good," said Lee. "Prep for the next jump for next coordinates."

"Aye, sir," replied Helo, taking the order and checking with all stations to make it happen.

"Come on," said Kara, to Sharon. "Let's let the boys do their job."

Sharon smiled and walked with Kara and Kacey down the corridors.

"They make quite a pair, don't they?" asked Sharon.

"Yes, they do," said Kara.

"And so do we," said Sharon.

Kara smirked. "Yeah, I guess."

"In more ways than you know," said Sharon.

"What do you mean?" asked Kara.

"Well, you know how you're going to start showing soon, and get bigger with your pregnancy," said Sharon.

"You trying to get decked, Sharon?" asked Kara.

"No," said Sharon. "What I'm saying is that you won't be alone. You'll start showing before I will, but I'll be waddling around this ship with you in no time I'm sure."

Kara stopped in her tracks, and looked pointedly at Sharon, the latter smiling brightly. "You're pregnant?" asked Kara, with a tone of shock.

"Yep," said Sharon. "Karl Agathon, stud machine, strikes again."

Kara laughed, and hugged Sharon. "Oh, that's frakking AWESOME! I won't be in this pregnancy thing alone!"

"Thanks," said Sharon.

Kara broke the hug and smiled. "So, how did Helo take the news?"

"He doesn't know yet," said Sharon. "He's been really nervous about his promotion and taking over as XO of the Pegasus. I'll tell him tonight. Besides, do you think he'd let me near flying a Raptor if he knew? This day's flight was my last for a while, I'm sure."

"Join the club," said Kara. "We both have very protective husbands."

"And we love them for it," said Sharon.

"Yeah, but don't tell them that," said Kara. "It gives us an excuse to bitch at them when we need to."

"I'm just wondering if it will be a boy this time, or another girl," said Sharon.

"Which do you prefer?" asked Kara.

Sharon smiled. "I don't care. As long as the baby is mine and Karl's, it doesn't really matter. I guess you feel the same."

"You think I want my baby to be Karl's?" asked Kara, in a joking voice.

Sharon chuckled. "You better not. But you know what I mean."

"Yeah," said Kara. "But I'm almost sure my baby is a boy."

"How do you know?" asked Sharon.

Kara smiled knowingly, thinking about her dream. "Call it a hunch."

Hera started whimpering about something. As Sharon soothed her, Kara looked pointedly at Hera. Her thoughts about the dream a moment ago were timed perfectly, because it brought them back to the forefront of her mind just as she looked at Hera. Kara thought about the young woman in the dream, and remembered thinking about how familiar she looked. "Hera," whispered Kara to herself.

"What?" asked Sharon.

"Oh, nothing," said Kara. "It's just that you have a beautiful little girl there. She's going to grow up to be a beautiful young woman."

"Thanks, Kara," said Sharon. "But you know, you've got a lovely young lady yourself there."

"Is she talking about me?" asked Kacey, now standing by Kara holding her hand.

"Yes, she is, little missy," said Kara, bending down to kiss her.

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That evening, Lee walked through the corridors of his battlestar, nodding at crewmen that greeted him as he went. He tended to do this about once a week or so; walking almost the entire length of his ship. It was his way of reassuring himself that all was well aboard the Pegasus and to let the ship and its crew know that their commander was omnipresent.

After walking the ship, Lee headed towards Pegasus' observation deck for a rendevouz. When he got there, he found Kacey and Kara standing against the glass, looking at the stars outside. Lee walked up behind them, and put his hand on Kara's shoulder.

"Any reason why you wanted to meet me here?" asked Lee.

"Oh, I just had the urge to come here," said Kara. "Look at the stars outside."

Kara turned to face him with a smile, and Lee pulled her to him. The couple stood there, in each other's arms, both looking out at the field of stars.

The End (for now)

For those of you who are sorry to see this story end, don't worry. I have a sequel in the planning stages right now about what happens to them after they separate from the fleet. But I telling that story in a separate fic because the original intent of this one was to tell an AU story about how Kacey could have brought Lee and Kara together as Kara's daughter. Of course, as you read, the story went off in other directions from there, and the sequel will continue to do so, so it really should be formatted as a separate, but sequel story. Until then, thanks for reading "I See You", and thanks for all of your reviews. If you so desire, please do provide some final feedback to this story. Do you want to see a sequel? Thanks, Ian K.


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